A national arts programme connecting and deepening engagement with the landscape

Dorset National Landscape is one of 6 National Landscapes across England taking part in a ground-breaking art project called Nature Calling. Nature Calling is designed to amplify new voices and create innovative artwork in collaboration with communities close to National Landscapes and building to a national ‘season’ sharing the work between May and October 2025.

In Dorset, we have been working with writer Louisa Adjoa Parker, artist Becca Gill / Radical Ritual and Activate Performing Arts to connect up with new communities and make new connections with the outstanding landscapes in Dorset.

Radical Ritual - Consequences

Inspired by the enduring mystery of the Cerne Abbas Giant, Radical Ritual Artistic Director Becca Gill and team are working with the local community to devise and create a monumental new mythical creature for the Dorset National Landscape.

Made through fun, collaborative community workshops, the temporary will be Consequences Giant will be an impressive 30×40 metre and be ceremoniously unveiled with music, poetry, and ritual on the ancient hills of Somerset and Dorset in September. The Consequences Giant will visit Yeovil and Corfe Castle, and the unveiling will be available to watch online.

To create the new Giant, a series of accessible and fun workshops in May are exploring collective storytelling and mythological creatures, with talks and discussions about beastly lore and folk tales, particularly those from Dorset. Over 100 people from Yeovil groups are taking part in these workshops, from Able to Achieve, Birchfield School, Fairmead School, Yeovil College and Yeovil Together. We’ll be sharing imges and stories from the workshop soon!

The final artwork will be made from chalk and plants from the local landscape to create natural pigments, connecting to the land’s geology, plant-based inks and dyes from local flora such as nettles, brambles, alder bark, and woad and charcoal made from site-gathered wood. Natural fibres and biodegradable materials will be used for the canvas and drawings to ensure environmental sustainability. Indigenous flora and fauna of Dorset will be incorporated into the creature. The project draws inspiration from Dorset’s unique interplay of geology, human history and natural evolution, reflecting these themes in the collaborative creation of mythical creatures and storytelling.

The new ‘Consequences’ Giant will be unveiled in on  13- 14 September in Yeovil and 20 – 21 September 2025 at Corfe Castle for Inside Out Dorset.

Becca Gill and Radical Ritual

Becca Gill has pulled together an inspiring team of creatives – Nick Hayes, Grace Emily Manning, Sita Brahmachari – to create a giant game of Consequences.

“Consequences isn’t just meaningful—it’s fun, aiming to captivate a broad audience and draw attention to our natural and sacred sites. We may have forgotten the stories our landscapes tell, but together, we can rediscover and inspire new tales of care, nurture, and community. This artwork is a call to reclaim collective agency over space and narrative – to ‘Be More Giant.’”

Find out more about Becca and the Radical Ritual team on the Nature Calling website

Louisa Adjoa Parker

Louisa has written ‘This patch of land’ inspired by the Dorset National Landscape.

“I lived in Dorset for 25 years and have always loved being out in the landscape and learning as much as I can, but the commission for Nature Calling gave me the opportunity to find out so much more. I heard from children and young people, farmers and land managers, people with accessibility needs, artists, storytellers, and archaeological or wildlife experts, and this brought the land to life and every conversation helped shape the poem. What shone out most for me was how enthusiastic people were to talk about their relationship with landscape and nature – I hope that Nature Calling will help more people to feel confident to visit and enjoy these places.”

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Nature Calling aims to inspire and connect new and existing communities with National Landscapes in England, increase people’s access to nature, improve their wellbeing and inspire a sense of belonging for these special places.

It is delivered by National Landscapes Association and Activate Performing Arts. Nature Calling is supported by Arts Council England and DEFRA (Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs), and 26 National Landscapes in England.

Find out more about the Nature Calling 2025 programme and supporters on the Nature Calling website.

Photo credits:

  • Graham Herbert
  • Radical Ritual
  • Robin Mills