Art, Nature & The Public Realm Symposium

Presented by CalderdaleCreates, curated by IOU Creation Centre
17 July 2025

Over 120 attendees from Calderdale and further afield joined 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, delegates heard 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.

Set in the historic Birchcliffe Centre and the adjacent IOU Hostel surrounded by woodlands, the symposium acknowledged the extraordinary landscape of Calderdale and the role it plays in the future of art and creative practice.

CalderdaleCreates is a cultural and creative industries network which supports sector voice, advocacy, and offers opportunities for skills, learning, and collaboration.

‘What We Do In Public’ by Kelly Loughlin

“In bringing together artists, producers and organisations to explore art in public spaces, this one-day symposium felt like the start of something, and I hope there’s more to come.”

A Review of the CalderdaleCreates and IOU Creation Centre’s Art, Nature and the Public Realm Symposium

Delegates at the Birchcliffe Centre

IOU Creative Director Richard Warburton opens the event

Key Note Speaker, Shanaz Gulzar, Director Bradford 2025

Panel 1 'Who's The Public in Public Art?' - Panellists Shanaz Gulzar, Sonya Moorhead (Artistic Director, Mr Wilson’s) and Kelly Loughlin (Creative practitioner and co-founder of 9a Gallery Todmordon) share their thoughts and insights into ideas around who is benefitting from Public Art and how can we make these spaces more inclusive and welcoming.

Panel 2 'The Art of Public Realm' Host Shabina Aslam, Wolfgang Buttress, Parvez Qadir, Kate Harvey and Vanessa Da Silva, share ideas around why artists are attracted to making work in public spaces, and the exciting possibilities that arise from inviting audiences to encounter art public landscapes.

Panel Sessions Q&A

Clare Shaw reads from 'The Book of Bogs'

Lunch at the IOU Hostel

Kelly Loughlin offers a special glimpse at a selection of observations from the Botanical Archive.

Delegates in the Birchcliffe Centre

Panel 3 'Place, Permissions and Impressions' Host Anna Kime, Kerenza McClarnan, Dan Fox, Catherine Waddington, Trudi Entwistle, around the ethics of making work in public landscapes