Nature Calling wrapped up at the end of October 2025 and you can take a look at all the wonderful artwork and engagement that we commissioned here in the Forest of Bowland.
With grateful thanks to our two amazing artists OneDa and Rob St John and also our very generous, supportive and flexible producers Lancaster Arts Big thanks too to the artists, and arts and community organisations who helped us along the way.
Nature Calling was a very successful programme nationally. Here in the Forest of Bowland nearly 4000 people were actively involved in the artwork creation and installation events (this is nearly half of the total audience figure achieved nationally) and we reached and worked with young people from the Pendle and Burnley areas which were our target audiences.
We must also thank our funders via the national programme: Arts Council England and Defra.
You can see and hear OneDa's spoken word piece Connections, created with input from young people in Burnley and Pendle. The piece puts us in the shoes of someone visiting the Forest of Bowland from an urban place, and the emotions it sparked in them.
In 2025 Rob St John worked with a huge number of people from Pendle to inspire his work: Are You Lost? He recorded podcasts with the groups and individuals he carried out research with and you can hear them all via this link or search for Are You Lost? on other podcast platforms.
Rob's original sound recordings and film can be viewed here
And you can watch two documentaries about the community workshops and the public installations, together with interviews with the artists to follow here.
Programme Information from 2025
Are you Lost? was an exciting commission by the Forest of Bowland National Landscape, from artist Rob St John, produced by Lancaster Arts.
Are You Lost? was part of the national programme called Nature Calling with executive producers Activate Performing Arts and the National Landscapes Association and was funded by Arts Council England and Defra.
Are You Lost? welcomed everyone into the heart of the Forest of Bowland to discover the stories that shape the landscape, from the people who live close by, through a series of sound, film and textile installations.
The artwork was open to the public for the first time at Pendle Festival of Culture on 28 June 2005 in partnership with Building Bridges, in Nelson town centre on the outskirts of the Forest of Bowland. It then travelled to Dunsop Bridge on the weekend of 2-3 August, where it was situated in Jinny’s Barn. The final location for the installation was in the heart of Gisburn Forest on 30-31 August, over a weekend that featured artist workshops and a singing performance.
Visitors had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the sounds, sights and fabric of this remarkable landscape, as they stepped inside the installation to understand what makes the area tick. Uncovering the histories and personal stories of Bowland, delving deeper into their understanding of what the area represents and considering their own thoughts on this landscape and its social, and political heritage and future.
Podcasts
The Are You Lost? podcast series is hosted by Rob St. John and gives more insights into how the artwork is being developed. The first is an introduction to the project, where you can hear all about the inspiration behind the project and what is aiming to do.
Partner Links:
- Lancaster Arts
Facebook: lancasterartsuk
Instagram: Lancasterartsuk
X: Lancasterarts
- Nature Calling
Facebook: naturecalling2025
Instagram: NatureCalling25
X: naturecalling25
Nature Calling was led by the National Landscape Associationand executive creative producers Activate Performing Arts. Poetry Schoolsupported the work nationally, and geographically spread National Landscapes operated as key hubs of activity including Mendip Hills, Chilterns, Dorset, Forest of Bowland, Lincolnshire Wolds, and Surrey Hills. You can read more about this and the other written artists new work here: www.naturecalling.org.uk/
The first phase of Nature Calling, during autumn 2024, involved the creation of a 'spoken word' piece by OneDa - CONNECTIONS - see film below of the final piece.