Creatively Connected
Creatively Connected is a one-year arts project joint funded by Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of a major £8mill nature recovery programme: TEES-SWALE: NATURALLY CONNECTED. The Tees-Swale programme is managed by North Pennines National Landscape Team and Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority in collaboration with those who own and manage the land.
Northern Heartlands has been commissioned as Creative Producer for Creatively Connected
© Matt Denham
The Creatively Connected Team
The Creatively Connected project has commissioned 5 artists (two working together) to develop a process of creative enquiry in response to the issues of nature recovery and high nature value farming.
Following an initial period of research and development (October 2024 to February 2025), the artists are developing their work with and alongside community, stakeholders and partners (April to July 2025).
This project includes engagement with community and farmers, with each artist responding to a particular area of focus within the context of nature recovery. The artists are working individually but also sharing approaches to their work throughtout the project.
Select an image below to find out more about each artist.
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John and Tim are working in Swaledale. They have been meeting with fell runners, cyclists, cavers, farmers and many others. They are carrying out creative sonic activity to capture sounds along the footpaths, underground and up above that can help us understand more about the weather, climate and the state of nature in the area. The sound walks, listening activities and streaming act as a provocation for further community response, engagement and input.
Matt is developing a rich, multi-layered creative project rooted in the concept of assemblage, inspired by the Teesdale Assemblage and the complexities of High Nature Value Farming (HNVF) practices. His approach—gathering diverse media (notes, photos, film, sound) and engaging with a wide range of local voices (farmers, botanists, volunteers, the Fitzhugh Library, and the Tees-Swale team)—uses a collaborative, and place-based methodology.
Azadeh is working across Teesdale and Swaledale exploring the idea of ‘psychogeography’- how the landscape is perceived, experienced and understood by people from different backgrounds and perspectives. Azadeh has met with many farmers, community groups, volunteers and team members. Her approach to the work is led by those she encounters and to work organically with them. Azadeh has captured 24 stories to date and created a map work of these to help develop the project further. Azadeh is also working with the Tees-Swale team to film using drones.
Laura is working primarily in Teesdale and has also met with colleagues in Swaledale including ecologists, farmers, and Tees-Swale team members. Laura is exploring the complexities and scale of this project and is looking at this through the lens of fibres in wool. Fibres of the wool are embedded structures and can help us understand the peatland, wetlands, plants and practices. This may lead to a series of activities and sessions which may help develop garments of some kind which can be shared/exhibited.
Thank you to our partners and generous Funders:
