Abby Rose

I am a polymath-in-training so I am out connecting the dots whilst also making a positive impact on the world. Over the last 3 years I have become more and more excited by the possibility for change and action through the farming community. About 10 years ago my family started farming at vidacycle in Chile, where we produce natural wine, verjus and olive oil - it was through learning to be a farmer I realised farming is a risky craft and farmers will play a big role in determining the earth’s future. I developed vidacycle tech apps to use on our farm to collect important data out in the field, and now fellow farmers on multiple continents are using them. I help farmers share their stories & ideas through our monthly podcast Farmerama. My latest collaboration is OurFieldwhich allows people to live the risks and rewards of being a farmer as they co-invest and co-farm a field of grain. I believe that through shared experiences like these we can transform the narratives of our food, the land and our future. Excited to be part of a new dawn for farming.

I studied for a Masters of Particle Physics at university, where I set up the Physics-Art Forum in my final year. A year after finishing I did a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design and loved every moment. That is where I really got to explore my intrigue with being a polymath in today’s world. I taught maths and physics to all ages both privately and on a volunteer basis and joined the super/collider collective where I planned adventures, predicted trends in science/tech & wrote articles on science and sustainability for publications such as Vice, AnOtherMag etc. We crafted some great adventures, we took a collection of dancers, scientists, map-makers to Sweden to witness the transit of Venus, we shared the world's first handcrafted particle accelerator in multiple countries and generally promoted science in the creative industries. At some point I felt constrained by the science-art narrative - for me it was about opening up the discourse and joining the dots across many disciplines, but it began to feel more and more contrived as art-science became defined. It was at this point that I setup polymathine.com and embarked on a polymath path. This led me to co-found Tech for Good Global as part of Bethnal Green Ventures accelerator, be a user researcher for Government Digital Service and to my commitment to the farming world. The polymath journey continues.