Over the past six months, I have been exploring Teesdale in search of ‘blueprints’ for nature. The work I am developing for Creatively Connected explores the many intersecting factors - from climate change to land management practices and the policies that govern them - that influence how Teesdale’s unique environments are cared for.
The starting point for this journey was learning about the Teesdale Assemblage, a unique mixture of alpine-arctic flowers and southern European species that are only found in this combination in Teesdale, and the work of the Teesdale Special Flora Trust, the North Pennines National Landscapes (NPNL) and many others to protect, conserve and improve these rare plants. I am exploring the idea of the ‘Assemblage’ as a wider metaphor for the unique combination of habitats, land management practices, lived experiences and ways of nurturing the landscape that set out blueprints for nature recovery that are specific to Teesdale.
On this exploratory journey and with my fellow artists, I have spent time getting to know Teesdale’s landscapes better and taken part in nature recovery works with the NPNL Farming and Nature team. I’ve spent time at local archives to explore how the farmed landscape has evolved over time and how these layers of history are embedded in the land. And most importantly, I’ve spent time with local farmers, land managers, experts and volunteers invested in nature recovery and had rich and nuanced conversations about care for and connection to this place. I’ve encountered bracing winds (although not as bracing as they were 30 years ago I’m told), moments of connection and a real generosity with the wealth of knowledge held by the people who live and work here.
I’m looking forward to the next months of conversation and encounter in the landscape and to drawing these experiences together through creative work.
The starting point for this journey was learning about the Teesdale Assemblage, a unique mixture of alpine-arctic flowers and southern European species that are only found in this combination in Teesdale, and the work of the Teesdale Special Flora Trust, the North Pennines National Landscapes (NPNL) and many others to protect, conserve and improve these rare plants. I am exploring the idea of the ‘Assemblage’ as a wider metaphor for the unique combination of habitats, land management practices, lived experiences and ways of nurturing the landscape that set out blueprints for nature recovery that are specific to Teesdale.
On this exploratory journey and with my fellow artists, I have spent time getting to know Teesdale’s landscapes better and taken part in nature recovery works with the NPNL Farming and Nature team. I’ve spent time at local archives to explore how the farmed landscape has evolved over time and how these layers of history are embedded in the land. And most importantly, I’ve spent time with local farmers, land managers, experts and volunteers invested in nature recovery and had rich and nuanced conversations about care for and connection to this place. I’ve encountered bracing winds (although not as bracing as they were 30 years ago I’m told), moments of connection and a real generosity with the wealth of knowledge held by the people who live and work here.
I’m looking forward to the next months of conversation and encounter in the landscape and to drawing these experiences together through creative work.
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