Open Space 70: The environmental arts festival in Hebden Bridge celebrating nature and aiming to provoke change

When Storm Ciara battered the country early in 2020, it caused Calderdale’s fourth major flood in just eight years, leaving in its wake ten miles of damage across the West Yorkshire borough.
Laura Reid
By Laura Reid
Published 13th Jul 2023, 05:50 BST

It is perhaps unsurprising then that when the team behind the now-Hebden Bridge Arts organisation began work on a rebrand later that year, environmental issues came out from the local community as being one of the key concerns among people living in the area.

Creative producer Rebekah Fozard says: “We decided as a result that all the work we would make in future, however we make it - whether a festival, play or exhibition, would be about our landscape, and nature, the environment and about the climate emergency.”

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Hebden Bridge Arts has been part of Calder Valley’s cultural landscape for 30 years, once delivering an annual arts festival in Hebden Bridge. The focus of its rebrand was on engaging more with the community and having a greater impact in the local area – and it now brings people together to create art on the theme of the environment and climate emergency.

Sound artist and acoustic ecologist Dr Linda O’Keeffe, part of Flight and leading a sound walk and sound mapping workshopSound artist and acoustic ecologist Dr Linda O’Keeffe, part of Flight and leading a sound walk and sound mapping workshop
Sound artist and acoustic ecologist Dr Linda O’Keeffe, part of Flight and leading a sound walk and sound mapping workshop

Its creative work centres around provoking thought and behaviour change, asking important questions and celebrating natural environments. “We want to create a future where people and the planet can thrive,” Rebekah says.

The organisation offers opportunities for artists, community groups and members of the public to engage with visual arts, the written and spoken word, theatre, film, dance and music. After two years of exhibitions, this year it is showcasing work through Open Space 70, an environmental arts festival, which gets underway today.

Running until Sunday, the festival, supported by an award from the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Fund, includes 70 events such as exhibitions and installations, performances, workshops, talks and walks. Among the highlights are an allotment arts project exploring local natural history, a special performance of Flight – exploring the worlds of birds, soundscape ecology and music, and a performance protest piece on river pollution.

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An arts trail has also been curated for the weekend days, showing work produced by community groups, environmental experts, professional artists and first-time makers on the theme of the environment. “Threats to the environment is of the most pressing things affecting us as a community,” Rebekah says. “This isn’t something anybody can afford to ignore.

Flight explores the worlds of birds, soundscape ecology and music. Photo: Juliet KlottrupFlight explores the worlds of birds, soundscape ecology and music. Photo: Juliet Klottrup
Flight explores the worlds of birds, soundscape ecology and music. Photo: Juliet Klottrup

“I hope people are inspired, that they enjoy what they see, that they question, that they learn something,” she continues. "The arts trail has such varied work being shared across such a multitude of media, nobody will get the same experience as anyone else. I hope people think about the part they can play in creating a better world for us all.”

Tickets need to be booked in advance. Visit www.hebdenbridgearts.co.uk

Related topics:CalderdaleHebden BridgeWest YorkshireCalder Valley