This summer saw the Howardian Hills take part in Nature Calling: the first national programme of new art commissions by National Landscapes. The Howardian Hills Partnership commissioned theatre company Next Door But One and York Dance Space to facilitate a creative retreat for unpaid carers from York Carers Centre in the Howardian Hills National Landscape. Here’s what unfolded:
Gathering
On a warm August morning, we gathered: 3 dancers, 2 theatre makers and a handful of kind supporters in Welburn Village Hall in the Howardian Hills National Landscape. Our mission: to welcome a group of unpaid carers, weary from the everyday grind and to release some pressure from their bodies and minds. To show them that just 30 minutes from their homes there is a tranquil space that will hold them. Where the gentle sights & sounds of nature outweigh those of human traffic. To feed their bodies and their minds with good movement, good thoughts, good food and make them a cup of tea that won’t go cold.
The carers arrived, some timid and anxious others already happy & relaxed at the idea of a new adventure. Gently welcomed they were gifted a notebook and pen and asked to draw something from nature that represented how they felt. A timid mouse, a busy bird, a floaty cloud, a tightly closed flower waiting for the sun.
To break the ice, we swapped notebooks and described our drawings. Slight chaos and laughter ensued led by Matt’s disarming, playful instructions. Invisible armor was being lowered, corners of mouths were turning upward, new connections being made. So far so good, but nature was calling. Maintaining momentum, we moved outside into the sunshine.
The Journey
Notebooks in hand to record what we noticed, we climbed the gentle hill to Banks Wood. Stopping to admire impossibly small flowers, lone poppies, juicy blackberries and the spectacular view at the ‘Exclamation Gates’: Castle Howard, Welburn church spire, the Mausoleum, golden fields and green woodland expanding into the distance offering a fresh perspective. Warm sun on faces.
Woodland choreography
Entering the wood revealed a completely new atmosphere: cool, cocooning, playful, distracting. Leaves seemingly absorbing anxiety, pupils dilating.
Led by Hannah and Drew we moved, breathing in and out, reaching up and over, finding stillness. Choosing tiny natural niches which beckoned us. Pausing, absorbing. Silent, slow, deliberate travel from one enthralling woodland perch to another. Accidental choreography to the soundtrack of crunching beech nuts and snapping twigs; the group became dancers.
Congregating to hold hands and touch feet & feel supported before dispersing again like seeds on a swirling breeze. Finally everyone reached for the sky, breathed deep and felt calmness, strength and possibility replacing cells previously occupied by worry and commitment.
Nourishment
Hungry, we retraced our steps with renewed bounce, down the sunny track to a delicious feast from the local cafe. That cuppa’ that wouldn’t go cold. New friendships blossoming, the free babble of conversation between peers that ‘get it’. New connections to nature, each other, parts of brains and bodies once thought extinguished, lighting up. Space to be. More tea.
Reflection
Back to the notebooks, a chance to reflect on our personal brief encounters with nature. What had we noticed in the woods? How did it make us feel? Some precious uninterrupted minutes of quiet. The physical magic of pen on paper.
Paying attention
Finally in pairs we listened to each other’s observations and interpreted our partner’s words with our bodies. Taking it in turns, creating unique duets of dance and prose. Feeling genuinely listened to. Those who care, being cared for, being heard.
As a last gesture we drew again something natural that represented how we now felt. The themes were stronger, taller, more blossom, calmed, okay to be ourselves, inspired to return to this landscape soon.
And then those who arrived that way, walked back to the bus, new friends by their sides, brimming with new ideas, things achieved, renewed belief in humanity.
We hope they return.
We hope they heard Nature’s Caring Call.
More details and a film of the event can be found at Nature Calling | Howardian Hills
The National Landscapes Association, working with Activate Performing Arts, secured funding from Arts Council England (as part of the Lottery funded Nationally Significant Project stream) and Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) (as part of the Protected Landscapes Partnership) and National Landscapes in England to deliver Nature Calling.