Nature Calling
A national arts programme connecting and deepening engagement with the landscape
Visit our current exhibition in New Addington Library until the end of October!
Year 3 children from New Addington’s Fairchildes primary school explored their local landscape Addington Hills, as a step towards the Surrey Hills National Landscape. Led by contemporary dance artist, Aaron Baksh, the children replicated the shapes, sizes and motions of the environment, through dance. Ameena Rojee captured the experience through photography.
“I most loved the part in the field. It was seeing and hearing all the bees humming and the fox gloves like little bells covered in fur. It lured me into this open area and felt so good. I just like being in nature”
Nphina
You will find these wonderful giant photographs exhibited upstairs in the New Addington Library, Central Parade, CR0 0JD
Surrey Hills is one of 6 major hubs across England taking part in this ground-breaking £2M art project.
Nature Calling aims to inspire new communities to connect with their local National Landscape, increase their access to nature, improve their wellbeing and inspire a sense of belonging in these special places. The project is funded by Arts Council England and Defra (Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs), as well as National Landscapes in England. Partners include the National Landscape Association, Activate Performing Arts and the Poetry School
Nature Calling will bring together the 34 National Landscapes in England, local arts organisations and community groups from within a 30-minute journey time of their nearby National Landscape. In Surrey, we will engage with the New Addington community in Croydon working together to co-create artworks inspired by our iconic landscape. The results will be shared with the public as part of a national season of art from May – October 2025. Around 70,000 people will take part.
The starting point is words, and we are delighted to be working with rap artist Still Shadey who has already begun creating a new piece ‘Nature’s Anthem: A Journey Through Surrey Hills’
‘Growing up in the diverse community of New Addington, I experienced firsthand the power of nature as a source of healing and inspiration. Raised by Nigerian migrant parents, my connection to nature was limited due to various barriers, but those rare moments
Still Shadey
spent in green spaces left a profound impact on me. Through this project, I aim to share that transformative experience with others, particularly those from underrepresented communities’
Our selected artists are David Blandy & Daniel Locke who have been collaborating on multiple projects for the past decade, alongside their own solo art practices.
Making art around environmental science, collaborating with communities and directly addressing climate change, their work includes the graphic novel, Out of Nothing, published by Nobrow; the role play games Lone Eons and The World After.
‘We are really excited to be working on the commission for Nature Calling. Our work has always been shaped by our own environmental concerns and our understanding of the importance of having a deep connection to the natural world. We hope to inspire people to enjoy exploring their surroundings, to find escape, meaning and each other through the landscape.’
Blandy & Locke
National Landscapes are the UK’s nearby countryside. 66% of people in England (44 million) live within 30 minutes of a National Landscape, over 1 million people live within them and at least 170 million people visit every year. Nature Calling aims to reach out and encourage even more communities to feel welcome to enjoy these special places and on their own terms.
Find out more about Nature Calling on the dedicated website www.naturecalling.org.uk
Find out more about the other National Landscape hubs and their work here:
- Chilterns National Landscape
- Dorset National Landscape
- Forest of Bowland National Landscape
- Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape
- Mendip Hills National Landscape
With thanks for support from:
