Art, Nature & The Public Realm Symposium
17 July 2025
Presented by CalderdaleCreates, curated by IOU Creation Centre
IOU Hostel Hebden Bridge & The Birchcliffe Centre
Event information
IOU Hostel Hebden Bridge & The Birchcliffe Centre
£10
80
About CalderdaleCreates
CalderdaleCreates is a cultural and creative industries network which supports sector voice, advocacy, and offers opportunities for skills, learning, and collaboration.
As part of this event, attendees who live & work in Calderdale and are part of the CalderdaleCreates network will be invited to a collaboration session to explore and imagine a future programme for Calderdale, around the themes and learnings of the day.
Join Calderdale’s culture & creative industries network CalderdaleCreates for a one-day symposium, presented and curated by IOU Creation Centre, exploring the intersections of nature, art, and the public realm.
Throughout the day, you’ll hear from leading voices in the fields of environmental art, site specific performance, public walks and a host of individuals and organisations who are making, thinking, writing, developing and presenting work on a diverse range of sites and spaces. This symposium acknowledges the extraordinary landscape of Calderdale and the role it plays in the future of art and creative practice.
Guest Speakers and Panelists
Key Note and Panelist
Shanaz Gulzar, Director, Bradford 2025
Panelists
Helen Marriage, Director, Artichoke
Kerenza McClarnan, National Landscapes
Liz Pugh, Walk the Plank
Parvez Qadir, Breaking Barriers
Trudi Entwistle, Artist and Academic
Wolfgang Buttress, Artist
Dan Fox, Artist & Director, Sound Intervention
Vanessa Da Silva, Artist:
Shirley May, Director, Young Identity
Kelly Loughlin, Artist & Academic,
Sonya Moorhead, Artist
Contributors
Anna Chilvers, Co-Editor of The Boggarts, Give Peat a Chance
Clare Shaw, Co-Editor of The Boggarts, Give Peat a Chance
Malaika Cunningham, Artist & Researcher
Dr Karen Smith – Reflective Practitioner, Facilitator and Coach
Anna Kime – Moderator
Set in the unique landscape of Calderdale’s Birchcliffe Centre and IOU Hostel, the symposium features talks, walks, and a hands-on session to explore how nature shapes creative practice—and how these ideas can be evolved into creative action.
