SALT + EARTH: Festival of Landscape, Seascape & The Environment will return from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 September 2022.
In a new expanded format, we are delighted to be collaborating with Creative Folkestone and Kent Down’s AONB to present a weekend of artworks, walks, workshops, community gatherings and more.
This September we are inviting more people than ever before to enjoy a weekend of creativity that explores the environment around us, how we can engage with the climate emergency, and consider the communities that live in and around the Kent Downs AONB.
Selected artists include:
Alison Neighbour, Anne Deeming with Shape Arts, Craig Gell, Dr. Legumes, Fiorino & Ferreira, Judith Anketell, Manuel Vason, Origins Untold, Rubiane Maia, Sara Trillo, Aaron Kopp, SITE, + so many more!
The artists, creatives and collectives selected will explore everything from geography to geology, sounds to sculptures and so much more. In the coming weeks, we will reveal more information about the festival and how you can get involved.
SALT Festival began in 2016. Based in Folkestone, the festival’s aim was to inspire and connect people to the coastal landscape and urgent issues of climate change. Previous editions of the festival have included activities and events such as communal sea swims, boat building, rewilding projects, live performances and much more. The expanded festival will now look beyond the coast to the wild and rural parts of Kent and northern France. SALT + EARTH is an ambitious festival that now aims to raise awareness of the climate emergency and UNESCO geopark bid.
Reflections by Rhiana Bonterre:
It's been nothing short of immersive… the incredible variety of exhibitions, events, talks, walks and performances felt like portals allowing us to experience and understand the Kent Downs AONB through multiple perspectives and insights. It has truly been abundant and we are eternally grateful to all who allowed for SALT + EARTH Festival of Landscape, Seascape and the Environment to unfold in the profound way that it did.
Thank you to our incredible partners Creative Folkestone and Kent Downs AONB for the brilliant work and thoughtful collaboration. Thank you to all of those who opened themselves up to experience the festival, and thank you to the incredible artists - none of this would have been possible without their brilliant ideas and work.
What a privilege it has been to celebrate the extraordinary coastal landscape, and support the AONB in seeking international UNESCO Global Geopark Status. The fantastic artist’s work seen throughout the festival weekend has opened up communities and people from around the county to ‘learn, share, think and have fun’ within and about these lush landscapes - we are thrilled to have been a part of facilitating it all... stay tuned for more to come!
In the meantime, you can watch the festival's four enthralling talks HERE:
Dr Anjana Khatwa: The Whispers of Rock
Sara Trillo: Holes in the Landscape
+ Read Anne Deeming's blog on 'Field of View' HERE.
+ Read Chloe Robinson's review on Aaron Kopp's 'A Path Is A Conversation' HERE.
+ Look at our Festival Gallery page, which captures moments from the weekend by photographer Joseph Hill HERE.
+ Sign up to the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Newsletter HERE.
Co-curated by Creative Folkestone, Folkestone Fringe, and Kent Downs AONB, SALT + EARTH explores the way the natural environments around us shape who we are and asks what the future might hold for those living on the edge.
