Sacred Landscapes

This studio was located in West Yorkshire within a three mile radius of Hebden Bridge. The area is a remarkable Pennine landscape of woodland, pastures, moorland and fast flowing rivers and streams. Gritstone emerges from the hillsides in the form of rough rocks and hewn man made constructions.

We proposed that in this time of climate emergency we needed to re-establish our respect for the natural world, re-evaluate how we live within it and change practices which are viewed as ‘normal’ to become those which are ‘optimal.’

We began by experimenting with our own physical nature, using The Feldenkrais Technique to experience moving more subtly. We then moved this sensitivity of perception out into our experience of the landscape and made three short films: Earth, Sky and the Body Moving.

We questioned how we could optimise our relationship with the rich resources of this particular landscape? What strategies could we propose to have a positive impact upon this environment and the people who live within it? What architecture might be required to move towards optimal practice and make change possible?

● ● ●

Studio tutor

Jacquie Milham

Studio collaborators

Caroline Scott, Feldenkrais Yorkshire
Nick Rowland, Writer and Director, Lost Dog Pictures Ltd
Nick Beaumont, Producer, Nick Beaumont Film
Jenny Slaughter, Pennine Crop Share
Richard Searle, Kay Phillips, Beekepers
Sheila Hamnet, Grower
Robin Gray, Amanda McDeermott, Slow The Flow
Dongria Khond, Treesponsibility

Visiting tutors

Lucy Pedler, Green Register
Helen Roberts, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
Step Haiselden, Structural Engineer, CARE International