We are thrilled to announce an inspiring new place-based partnership with Norfolk & Norwich Festival.
Nature Connects Us will combine the magic of the arts and our natural world to inspire and support the communities surrounding our new urban nature reserve, NWT Sweet Briar Marshes, to engage with nature.
Nature Connects Us will kick off with two exciting projects taking place this spring. The first, ‘Kinship’, is a new poetry and sound project by writer Daisy Henwood, aiming to collaborate with those local to NWT Sweet Briar Marshes to tell a new story of nature. Along with musician Milly Kirby, Daisy will work with young people and their communities to explore how we relate to nature with a series of fun, family-friendly activities during February half-term. The project will culminate in a community event at NWT Sweet Briar Marshes later this spring.
Co-commissioned with Tim Harrison of We Live Here, ‘On Our Doorsteps’ will explore the relationships which local individuals and communities have with Sweet Briar Marshes and the surrounding area. Part of an international programme of community engagement, ‘On Our Doorsteps’ aims to build and enrich the connection between urban communities and the green spaces in our cities. Throughout March, Bristol-based writer Zakiya McKenzie and Finnish graphic novelist Tiitu Takalo will meet with locals to discover their experiences of the area and their relationship to nature. The stories unearthed by the pair will then be displayed as six artworks as part of this year’s Norfolk & Norwich Festival, taking place from 10
th – 26
th May 2024.
“Norfolk & Norwich Festival is absolutely delighted to be working with Norfolk Wildlife Trust as part of a long-term partnership using the power of the arts to forge meaningful relationships with the places and people on our doorsteps”, said Anna McCarthy, Head of Festival, Connect & Create (Norfolk & Norwich Festival’s engagement programme). “Inspiring and supporting communities to connect with natural spaces has never been more critical;
Nature Connects Us and ‘On Our Doorstep’ employ the magic of the arts to help us to imagine futures to thrive in and to fully realise the interdependency of our collective wellbeing.”
Natalie Bailey, Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Director of Engagement, said: “We want people in Norwich to be able to enjoy and be inspired by the nature on their doorstep: art is a wonderful way to facilitate these connections. This partnership with Norfolk & Norwich Festival will not only enable us to learn more about the way communities local to NWT Sweet Briar Marshes experience the natural world, but will mean we can help strengthen the link between local people, their green spaces, and the wildlife living alongside them.”
Header image by Denzil Dean