2nd to 4th June 2021 • Hawkwood College, Cotswolds

Do you make music? Are you interested in the environment, nature and sustainability?
Join The Nest Collective in an immersive residency exploring the interconnectivity between music and nature.

This unique programme for a small group of artists of all genres will offer the opportunity for ecological training and exploration of their creative practice set in the beauty of nature. We will support this group in exploring how conservation, ecology and climate awareness can inform their art and artistic standpoint, and how they can bring a deeper connection with nature into their creative approach. This residency will bring together a diverse range of artists and industry voices to explore the critical role that the music industry plays within the campaign to combat climate change and how we can better tell the many stories this situation offers artists. Woven between facilitated workshops on how artists can amplify their voice in the professional domain will be outdoor sessions of deep nature listening and skill sharing. The group will discover how our understanding of the global climate emergency can be appreciated better through deepening our relationship with our local natural resources.

The aim of the residency is to grow the group’s confidence, and to articulate and embody the climate justice movement into their practises and communications. Participants will discover how to grow their connection with nature by using skills passed down from indigenous communities from Europe and the Americas. The group will be guided in how nature can be sought as muse and sensory enabler, allowing practitioners to step into a time honoured space where the natural world can inform and support the artist’s journey.

The time spent together will explore the interconnectivity between music and nature, supported by expert facilitators in nature connection and environmental engagement.
Developed in response to the culture sector’s important role and voice in the ecological crisis, this pilot programme will be set in the luxurious grounds of Stroud’s Hawkwood College and ‘Centre for Future Thinking’ with full board and lodge provided as well as travel compensation. This course is by application only and offers a tangible transformative experience for artists at all levels of their career but specifically those wanting to find their voice in the growing campaign in nature’s defence.

Accommodation and meals at Hawkwood will be provided.

Hosted by Sam Lee, folk musician & Artistic Director of The Nest Collective, this course will include sessions led by:

Chris Salisbury – Director of Wildwise
Tamsin Ormond – Environmental activist and author
Fay Milton and Maddy Reed-Clarke – Founder members of Music Declares Emergency
Alison Tickell – Director of sustainability organisation Julies Bicycle

Deadline for applications was May 9th 2021.