Creative Earth Eco Fest: Making Change Through Photography And Art

Creative Earth Eco Fest has been organised by Photo Hub North and Impressions Gallery, who are both passionate about helping people respond to the current environmental emergency in a positive and creative way. Sometimes it can be difficult to know what each of us can individually do to help the planet, and the scale of the climate crisis can often be overwhelming. Based on the belief that photography and art can play a big part in inspiring people to be more eco friendly, the idea for Creative Earth Eco Fest was born.

Lisa Holmes, Director, Photo Hub North, who had the original vision for an eco arts festival says, “Last year with the support of Land Art Agency, I launched the Creative Earth Network, a shared space bringing together artists from all over the world to explore working in a more environmentally conscious way. The response has been amazing, and we now have over 120 artists worldwide signed up. After this I thought it would be incredible to create a festival that celebrated all this wonderful work and share it with our local communities. We are especially pleased to be able to stage our first eco fest in the impressive grounds of Cliffe Castle where we can welcome as many visitors as possible. Thanks to funding from The Leap Awards we have been able to make Creative Earth Eco Fest free to attend, meaning that many people from the local area, will be able to come.”

Anne McNeill, Director, Impressions Gallery says, “Six years ago Impressions Gallery pledged its commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Goals to ‘protect the planet’. Since then caring for the environment has increasingly been at the creative heart of what we strive to do. As a charity, we are committed to presenting and making photography that is more sustainable and better for the environment. Therefore, I am delighted that Impressions has joined together with Photo Hub North to co-curate and help fund the first ever Creative Earth Eco Fest. I am thankful to core funding from The Leap which means we have been able to remove costs to attend for those who may not usually access the art or cultural events. My hope is that our eco fest will use the power of photography and art to help people feel confident making small sustainable changes, while having a whole lot of fun and enjoying a great day out.”

Creative Earth Eco Fest’s programme has been informed by dynamic conversations with local people, including those who attend Keighley Healthy Living creative art classes, South Asian community groups at Highfields Community Association, as well as New Focus, Impressions Gallery’s young people’s collective, and artists who are working in sustainable ways.

Creative activities and artistic workshops to experience on the day include:

• A special eco-darkroom where participants can produce their own photogram.
• Learning how to make unique cyanotypes and anthotypes at plant-based photography workshops.
• Creating artwork from natural found objects.
• Making ‘one off’ flags using natural dyes and leaf printing.
• Re-loving your family photographs in a zine making workshop with local artist Jean McEwan.
• Hand decorating with henna art.

Other highlights include a ‘pop up outdoor gallery’ showcasing the work of local and national photographers who are rethinking their artistic processes and making work in more sustainable ways.

A ‘Wellbeing Zone’ will offer experiences that encourage health and happiness, with Tai Chi for all abilities, stimulating outdoor play for families led by Keighley’s own Get Out More CIC, plus forest bathing for adults to relax and connect with nature. Jane Hiley, Creative Projects Manager, Impressions Gallery says “Creative Earth will give people of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to make small changes within their own communities to help the environment. They can make eco-friendly art, learn how to grow their own food, take part in re-use, re-purpose and re-cycle workshops and share their ideas and eco hacks with other festival goers.”

Millside Community Centre will be bringing their innovative Welcome Café to the festival with delicious and healthy ‘zero’ waste food available to buy. This project supports local asylum seekers, refugees, students and volunteers to come together to share their love for plant-based food, with the support of staff at Bradford College. Other food stalls include Caterpillar Catering known for their high-quality vegan food, made solely from locally sourced ingredients.

A quirky ‘chai & chats’ stall will tour throughout the grounds, inviting festival goers to share their ideas and eco-friendly hacks, over a nice cup of chai. Bitesize talks on environmental issues, seed swapping opportunities, and a pedal cycle cinema and live music will all take place throughout the day. Performers include Keighley Rock Choir leading a sing-along to the old classics, a dance-along to the beats of dhol drumming, and full on entertainment with multi-cultural DJ sets by the legendary No Hands. The day will end with a rousing flag waving, celebratory parade, led by traditional Yorkshire brass band, The Haworth Band.

Getting there: We are encouraging people to come to eco fest on foot, bike or public transport. Keighley train station is a 20 minute walk away and the bus station is 15 minutes. Free return electric buses provided by TransDev will run throughout the day from the bus station.

Getting around the festival: the grounds of Cliffe Castle will be dressed with bespoke signage made by The Men’s Shed Association from reclaimed materials.

Access: Accessible parking is available in the grounds of Cliffe Castle, with full accessibility to the festival site. There is an accessible toilet on the ground floor of Cliffe Castle Museum. Members of the Creative Earth Eco Fest team will be wearing hi-vis jackets and on hand around the festival site to offer assistance.

Creative Earth Eco Fest is made possible thanks to funding from The Leap and support from Bradford District Parks (Bradford Council).