LAND was a 2 year Creative Europe cooperation project, focussed on bringing the arts and rural landscapes together, in order to achieve our key goals:
LAND “offered” the landscape as a field of experimentation in the hope of reuniting what is often seen as disunited or separate; humanity and its environment, art and nature, science and experience.
LAND (Land stewards AND artists) project was a 2-year Creative Europe cooperation project involving four arts partners exploring new ways for environmental organisations, cultural operators and artists to work together. LAND was led by Oerol Festival, Netherlands; with Activate Performing Arts, UK; Le Citron Jaune, France and Artpolis / PLACC Festival, Hungary.
LAND partners worked in conjunction with key land stewards / environmental organisation in each country, to offer the landscape as a field of experimentation in the hope of reuniting what is often seen as disunited or separate; humanity and its environment, art and nature, science and experience.
In doing so, LAND animated rural landscapes through art, attracting new audiences to experience it in new way; forged the creation of connected European network between land stewards and artists and built the foundation of a strong collaborative future for this specialist field of work. LAND was delivered through three core aims.
Picture: Moving Landscapes | Oerol 2019 | In co-operation with Sense of Place.
Strengthen the relationship between partners, artists and land stewards in the creation and production of artistic work in the landscape. LAND delivered 10 presentations of landscape arts from 9 artists / companies at the four partner festivals, delivering a total of 82 installation days/performances experienced by an overall audience of 34,212. This was complimented by 6 residencies facilitating the delivery of the presentations and future collaborations. For each, relationships and understanding between artists and land stewards were fostered rooting each artistic creation with the sites, whilst forging new links, experiences, and collaborations.
Studio Maarten Kolk and Guus Kusters
Develop audiences for artist work in the landscape, targeting young people. LAND brought landscape arts to a wider and more diverse audience through delivering workshops and participatory activities designed around local activity and communities. Over 1000 young people were engaged through 40 workshops across 3 countries. In addition, by working closely with land stewards, LAND offered a way of reaching new audiences across the arts – environment sectors.
Parc Naturel Regional de Camargue
picture: Plan B |
Develop the professional skills and abilities of partners and land stewards in the understanding of this specialist field of work. LAND placed capacity building at the heart of its priorities with a particular focus on training and education. LAND held 2 seminars, attended by a total of 69 delegates with 21 speakers.
Tom Munro, Dorset AONB Manager, Land Steward
picture: Eilandkinderen | exhibition about climate change | Oerol 2019
On the bespoke website site at www.LANDartists.eu information is shared about the project activities, the network of arts producers, artists, land stewards and universities and our project outcomes / results.
LAND ultimately has developed integrity, knowledge and audiences for landscape-based arts, increased confidence and ambition in the land sector; developed relationships and markets for artists and importantly built the foundations for the partners commitment to continue working as a collaborative European network into the future.
Howard Davies, NAAONB, UK