New Eyes for Nidderdale

“New Eyes for Nidderdale”,  is a vibrant cultural exchange; inspiring creative expression from a range of Seacroft and Nidderdale based artists.

This participatory project includes artists, asylum seekers, young people and refugees, as well as locals from the Seacroft area in Leeds. Nidderdale participants are numerous – and will include children from a local primary school, refugees, as well as writers and makers. All participants have a connection to the to the Chapel FM arts centre.

Following a series of workshops in both Leeds and Nidderdale, as well as visits to the landscape, the project will culminate in events in both Seacroft and Pateley Bridge. Expect an encounter between two new giants – “Green Eyes” and “Grey Eyes”– a story yet to be told, accompanied by music, movement, and giant puppets. 

The aims of the project:

• To provide a platform for a community that normally experiences barriers to accessing the countryside. • Providing a space for bold expression - embracing alternative insights and views - a place to challenge received perceptions about landscape. • Embracing the unknown, telling stories we don’t yet know, and re-imagining and re-framing those we do. • Exploring, updating, and reviving folk traditions. • Seeking out connections and contrasts, exploring the qualities that make both Seacroft and Nidderdale distinctive. • Bringing ideas to life with performances, giant puppets, and music, and spoken word. • Recording the project through photography, writing and radio. • Making Nidderdale a “landscape of sanctuary” - sharing meals, music, workshops, and walks, to foster a sense of friendship and belonging. • To initiate a long-term relationship between communities in Seacroft and Nidderdale, breaking down barriers to access, both cultural and practical.