Nature Calling

Very exciting that the Are You Lost? film will be featured at @caughtbytheriver weekend which kicks off tomorrow. The amazing @robsaintjohn will be talking about the project too. We're thrilled that Nature Calling projects are continuing to get the attention they deserve.

Bon voyage @naturecalling25 billboards! It’s been a hoot and your future is going be in great hands with @greenhustlefest who have exciting plans…. Check out their festival on 30th May in Nottingham to see our micro billboards showcasing our co-produced prints with 70 teenagers in Lincolnshire as part of our commission with @lincolnshirewolds1 and new live art going up on our @studioinstar large billboard - which we are excited to see! More and more we are seeking to repurpose and give extra life to our commissions, and we couldn’t be more delighted with this result! . . . #repurposing #sustainableart #billboardart #studiospace #instar

Last night John Watkins and Kerenza McClarnan from our team joined CPRE who were marking their centenary year with the launch of ‘Future Rural’ at Daunt Books in London. Future Rural is a new collection of essays and poetry on the future of the countryside, asking: in a time of rapid environmental, economic, and social change, what does the countryside mean to us, and what could it become? We’re absolutely thrilled that one of Ayesha Chouglay’s poetry collection commissioned by Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape as part of Nature Calling is included in Future Rural. Louisa Adjoa Parker, another Nature Calling commissioned writer (for Dorset National Landscape) also has an essay in the collection. Other contributors include Protected Landscapes Partnership chair (and president of CPRE) Mary-Ann Ochota, National Landscapes Association conference speaker Amy-Jane Beer, Guy Shrubsole, Richard Mabey. Foreword by Michael Morpurgo. You can read Ayesha and Louisa’s work for Nature Calling: Click the Nature Calling writers link in our linktree. Find out more about Future Rural published by @littletollerbooks #nature #naturewriting #poetry #naturepoems #countryside #futurerural #landscape #futurelandscapes @maryannochota @revolutonarts @so_festival @magnavitaetlc @lancasterartsuk @blazearts_ @soundukarts @surrey_hills_arts @superculturewsm @davidblandyrpgs @daniellocke @trish_artist_instar @weareinstar @gwyneth_herbert @jasonsinghthing @chrishoward001 @mfprosier @beccagill @graceemilymanning @sita.brahmachari @radical_ritual @nickhayesillustration @zakiyamedia @nickllew1 @zzzakia @louisaadjoaparker @stillshadey @onedawall @weirdbutinteresting

🥳 Celebrating Nature Calling and our role as one of the 6 main hubs across the country! 🧑‍🎨 Led by @natlandassoc and @activate_parts , Nature Calling had a big ambition to commission artists to co-create incredible artworks with communities who might not have easy access to nature and art. 🎥 Today we’re sharing the Nature Calling films and the final evaluation report! 🔉 Here in the Mendip Hills, we worked in partnership with @superculturewsm and communities from Weston-super-Mare to commission 3 fantastic artists: @gwyneth_herbert @jasonsinghthing and @chrishoward001 through @soundukarts The result was VIVO - an awe inspiring, immersive sound installation that took over a town centre shop, reaching a live audience of 948 people over 1 week. An audience of 4,000 people also engaged with outdoor augmented reality trails located across Weston and Mendip! Across the whole @naturecalling25 programme, the numbers tell their own story: -8,258 active participants (the target was 4,923). -A live audience of over 55,000 people. -Online and digital audiences surpassed 550,000 (the target was 4,933). Head to naturecalling.org.uk to watch the full film or to mendiphills-nl.org.uk/news/nature-calling to watch the film about VIVO - you can listen to the final piece here too! 🙏 Thank you to everyone involved - we’re looking forward to exploring more of the landscape together through the arts! Thanks also to Arts Council England and Defra for funding Nature Calling. #naturecalling #outdoorart #artinthelandscape #lovethemendips #loveweston

East coast trip to Sutton on Sea to collect our INSTAR @naturecalling25 billboards from @seaviewcolonnade Open skies, sea urchins in the strand line and lunch in the dunes. So wonderful to take time to breathe in the sea air and get lost beach combing. . . . @lincolnshirewolds1 @natlandassoc @studioinstar

Here is the final poem that I wrote as part of my commission for Nature Calling: 'thoughts he might have had whilst lying in a ditch, aged eighty something'. It is translated wonderfully into BSL by @shaunfitzgeraldofficial Note: This poem is loosely based on a family member, who did in fact fall in a ditch, aged eighty something. Being a hardy sort, the thing he was most bothered about whilst lying there was not being able to put his hat on. To see the poem written down, and to see the rest of the BSL poetry videos, please visit the Nature Calling website. Link in bio. Video description: The video begins with a shortened version of the title of the poem, 'thoughts he might have had' and the name of the poet, 'Ayesha Chouglay' on a white background. It cuts to Shaun who wears a light blue button down shirt and a pair of glasses, who performs the poem in BSL, in front of a white background. The video is subtitled using white letters on a black background. The performance is expressive, and Shaun maintains eye contact with the camera. After the poem ends, credits appear on a white background, which read: 'Poems written by Ayesha Chouglay. Commissioned by Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape as part of Nature Calling, a project of the National Landscape Association in partnership with Poetry School and Activate Performing Arts. Funded by Arts Council England, DEFRA and Lincolnshire National Landscape. Poems performed by: Ayesha Chouglay. BSL Actor: Shaun Fitzgerald. Producer: Chelsey Everatt. BSL Films: Hebb&Griff. The logos for the National Landscapes Association, the Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape, Nature Calling, the Poetry School, Activate Performing Arts, Arts Council England, and Funded by the UK Government, then appear. #NatureCalling #BSL #BSLPoetry #NatureWriting #Sheep #LincolnshireWolds

Here is another of the poems that I wrote as part of my commission for Nature Calling: 'Walk on'. Note: Many of the words within this poem are linked to farming sheep. To see the poem written down, and to see the rest of the BSL poetry videos, please visit the Nature Calling website. Link in bio. Video description: The video begins with the title of the poem, 'Walk on' and the name of the poet, 'Ayesha Chouglay' on a white background. It cuts to Shaun who wears a light blue button down shirt and a pair of glasses, who performs the poem 'Walk on' in BSL, in front of a white background. The video is subtitled using white letters on a black background. The performance is expressive, and Shaun maintains eye contact with the camera. After the poem ends, credits appear on a white background, which read: 'Poems written by Ayesha Chouglay. Commissioned by Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape as part of Nature Calling, a project of the National Landscape Association in partnership with Poetry School and Activate Performing Arts. Funded by Arts Council England, DEFRA and Lincolnshire National Landscape. Poems performed by: Ayesha Chouglay. BSL Actor: Shaun Fitzgerald. Producer: Chelsey Everatt. BSL Films: Hebb&Griff. The logos for the National Landscapes Association, the Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape, Nature Calling, the Poetry School, Activate Performing Arts, Arts Council England, and Funded by the UK Government, then appear. #NatureCalling #BSL #BSLPoetry #NatureWriting #Sheep #LincolnshireWolds

Here is the next poem: 'Alvingham Road'. Note: This is another two voice poem, written with the same method and intentions as 'Listen to them cows beeling'. Sam, my Great Grandad, once planted the trees along the left hand side of Alvingham Road. To see the poem written down, and to see the rest of the BSL poetry videos, please visit the Nature Calling website. Link in bio. Video description: The video begins with the title of the poem, 'Alvingham Road' and the name of the poet, 'Ayesha Chouglay' on a white background. It cuts to Shaun who wears a light blue button down shirt and a pair of glasses, who stands with hands clasped, before performing the poem 'Alvingham Road' in BSL, in front of a white background. The video is subtitled in white and yellow, to denote the two different voices reading the poem. Shaun uses movement to denote visually the two different voices, slightly changing direction when the voices swap. The performance is both expressive, and conversational. After the poem ends, credits appear on a white background, which read: 'Poems written by Ayesha Chouglay. Commissioned by Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape as part of Nature Calling, a project of the National Landscape Association in partnership with Poetry School and Activate Performing Arts. Funded by Arts Council England, DEFRA and Lincolnshire National Landscape. Poems performed by: Ayesha Chouglay. BSL Actor: Shaun Fitzgerald. Producer: Chelsey Everatt. BSL Films: Hebb&Griff. The logos for the National Landscapes Association, the Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape, Nature Calling, the Poetry School, Activate Performing Arts, Arts Council England, and Funded by the UK Government, then appear.