Integrating the arts and the sciences
to inspire new forms of land guardianship
In January 2020, Great Glemham Farms began an artist research residency with Touchstones Earth entitled For the Love of a Field. Working with a 10 care field called West Peace, the overarching aim is to create a bridge between the arts and the sciences, demonstrating how together these approaches open up new imaginative and practical pathways for restorative farming. For the Love of a Field documents and communicate with others the value of such truly integrated approaches to regenerating the soil and our food for planetary wellbeing, and for our own human flourishing.
“For the Love of a Field is a deep exploration of what a field can be. By weaving together artistic and scientific approaches, the collaboration offers a pathway for enriching the culture and ecology of nature-based farming.”
DR MICHE FABRE LEWIN
For the Love of a Field is honoured to be part of PLANET POSSIBILITY initiative with the Chartered Institution for Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM).
Discovering new approaches together … For the Love of a Field
Across the region and country, farmers are looking to move away from models of farming that leave them and their land vulnerable to uncertain weather conditions, irregular commodity prices, depleting soil conditions and devastating losses in biodiversity.
Working in partnership with Touchstones Earth arts and research practice is enabling us to transition to nature-based approach rooted in collective land care. Our approach is to start with one 10 acre field, West Peace, which is made up of different soil types that are common in Suffolk but not normally found all in one field.
Gratitude to those who met West Peace and contributed to For the Love of a Field in 2020, including:
Frank Clarke, Food and Mood
Jay Abrahams, Water design, Biologic Design
Professor Julian Henriques, Gioldsmiths College
Parminder Vir, Film Maker and Producer
Polly Mosely, Artist Researcher
Richard Scott, National Wildflower Centre and Eden Project
Mark Halligan, Aerial Photographer
Mark O’Connell, Apricot Centre
Year 1: 2020
February 2020
Miche and Flora begin For the Love of a Field with Patrick MacManaway, traditional land healer and agricultural adviser and set the intention to spend time with the field to understand how best to guide its future. Miche identifies a small area of uncultivated land, known in Suffolk as a ‘queach’, as a focus for gathering with others on the field.
March 2020
Introduce Dr Julia Wright of the Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience (CAWR) at Coventry University to West Peace. Julia joins the project as an adviser. A first tree, a larch, is planted at the queach with an elder resident as a way of honouring the field.
April 2020
Miche and Flora begin studying the field, its soils and boundary hedgerows, carrying out simple rituals on the land, and working with images and soil samples in the studio. Their explorations of water is written up as For the Love of a Field:Water, featuring as a Planet Possibility initiative in The Environment magazine of the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM).
May 2020
Miche leads a fire ceremony on West Peace as part of research and expirations of the genius loci of the land. The gathering is documented as a short film entitled Tending, which is shown as part of Long Minute global initiative curated by Bronwyn Lace.
June 2020
Jay Abrahams of Biologic Design is invited to visit West Peace to progress ideas of how to best conserve water in the land. Through water diving, land-surveying and geo-technical soil testing, they develop a strategy to restore historic water bodies above West Peace and create new water retention ponds and planting within the field.
September 2020
Miche and Flora embark on a research pilgrimage across the West Country to visit inspirational agroforestry, food growing and land management projects. They create a short film Growing Cultures as a record of the journey to share at Timberyard Nettus with local farmers, land guardians and journalists.
In November 2020, Marina O’Connell comes to Great Glemham Farms to visit West Peace. Marina brings her knowledge of organic, biodynamic and permaculture approaches to farming and food production. Together with Miche and Flora, with the spirit of the field, and with input from the Farm Partnership team, Marina integrates the year’s learning into a vision and landscape design for West Peace.
Year 2: 2021
Dream it.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Dream it.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Build it.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Build it.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Sell it.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Sell it.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Grow it.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Grow it.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
In March 2021, a new catch crop is planted, combining oats, beans, vetches and lentils.
CREATING A GREEN MANURE