IN DEVELOPMENT...
AT ONE WITH NATURE
A COLLABORATION WITH MEDWAY DIVERSITY FORUM
& ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL
FEATURING FARIS ISHAQ, CAS HOLMES, PARAMJOT KAUR,
LOUISA ADJOA PARKER, CAROL DONALDSON, ADRIAN BAWTREE, KAREN REEVES-TOPPIN & MORE TBC
‘Being naturalized to place means to live as if this is the land that feeds you, as if these are the streams from which you drink, that build your body and fill your spirit. Here you will give your gifts and meet your responsibilities. To become naturalized is to live as if your children’s future matters, to take care of the land as if our lives and the lives of all our relatives depend on it. Because they do.’
‘There is no restoration without “re-story-ation.” Our relationship with land cannot heal until we hear its stories. But who will tell them?’
Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
​​​
​​​
​In 2026, We Live Here, Medway Diversity Forum & Rochester Cathedral will co-create a communal celebration of diverse cultural narratives of nature connection. The project aims to increase the engagement of communities with the natural world & create a space for sharing experiences of nature. Through a programme of participatory workshops, the creation & presentation of public realm installation, and a major intercultural event at the Cathedral, the project will explore how different cultures perceive the natural world around us.
​
​​Leading local and national visual artists, writers and musicians will work with different communities, cultural and faith groups across urban and rural Medway. Together they will explore the landscapes, green urban spaces and rich, but threatened biodiversity of the area, inspiring reflection on cultural and personal relationships to the natural world. Three art-form-focussed groups will create responses to nature in writing, textiles and music. Taking place over Summer and Autumn, all elements will look at three aspects of personal and cultural relations with nature: 1) creation myths, 2) the ways in which nature offers a space of peace for emotional and spiritual reflection, and 3) the responsibility that all cultures share for the natural world as we look towards a future of ecological uncertainty. It will connect perspectives including Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Judaism, Roma and Indigenous cultures and secular science.
​
The project will incorporate:
-
A programme of workshops and discussions with leading musicians, writers visual artists and conservationists
-
A major live music & spoken word event at Rochester Cathedral followed by a community harvest feast
-
An audiovisual installation presented at Rochester Cathedral, Capstone Farm Country Park & Chatham Library with textile artworks by Cas Holmes and a specially commissioned soundscape.
​
ARTISTS
Faris Ishaq
Faris Ishaq is a Palestinian Nay Master, Percussionist, and Composer who charts unexplored territories with the Nay, an ancient Middle Eastern flute dating back to 5000 B.C. Rooted in his Palestinian heritage and passion for nature, Faris celebrates its cultural legacy in today’s contemporary musical landscape.
Cas Holmes
Cas Holmes is a British artist, author and tutor of Romani heritage, specialising in textile work with found materials. She trained in fine art and is interested in interdisciplinary projects in community and gallery settings. Her practice centres on the use of sustainable materials and themes surrounding issues of identity and place. She has researched in traditional paper and textile crafts in Japan and India, which continue to inform her practice and writing.
Louisa Adjoa Parker
Louisa Adjoa Parker is a writer of English-Ghanaian heritage who lives in South West England. Louisa’s poetry and prose has been widely published and she has written extensively on ethnically diverse history, and is co-director of The Inclusion Agency. She is a sought-after speaker on rural racism, black history, mental health and marginalisation.
Paramjot Kaur
As the founder of Sahara, an award-winning organisation for South Asian older people, Medway-based artist Paramjot Kaur developed deep expertise in leading initiatives that drive social inclusion. She works across media often working as a Creative Health practitioner. In 2025, she was awarded an Evolve Commission as part of Medway Council’s Creative Health Place Partnership Programme.
Adrian Bawtree
Adrian Bawtree is an English composer and organist who currently serves as Director of Music and Organist at Rochester Cathedral. was educated at Christ's Hospital before attending the University of Oxford and was an organ scholar at St Bride's Church, Fleet Street, in London. He later studied at Worcester College, Oxford, under David Sanger, and won a silver medal from the Worshipful Company of Musiciansfor achieving the highest score in the Royal College of Organists exam.
Karen Reeves Toppin
Karen Reeves Toppin is a singer trained within classical and gospel traditions. She is an educator, community leader and founder / musical director of Medway Can Sing. She is a passionate believer in the power of music and singing to improve people’s lives and bring communities together.
Carol Donaldson
Carol Donaldson is a writer of several books that focus on the natural world and our connections to it. She has written for Wanderlust, BBC Wildlife, The Telegraph and is a regular travel writer for the Guardian. She was BBC Wildlife's Travel Writer of the Year in 2011. Carol has worked in wildlife conservation for 30 years and has been an independent Ecologist for 10 years.
We Live Here
Founded in 2022, We Live Here develops, creates and presents public realm projects that build deeper connections between communities and the natural environments around them. Based in North Kent, We Live Here works with local, national and international artists to create ambitious projects that are rooted in place, but which connect with people from around the world. We Live Here asks how the arts can serve as a catalyst for conversations between local communities, nationally and internationally, about the environmental challenges that face our planet and all of us who live on it. Working with diverse communities that often face barriers to their enjoyment of both nature and the arts, We Live Here seeks out new ways of imagining, exploring and celebrating our shared and individual relationships with the natural world. We collaborate with artists, communities and other organisations that maintain, protect and increase our understanding of the natural world.
Medway Diversity Forum
In 2026, We Live Here, Medway Diversity Forum & Rochester Cathedral will co-create a communal celebration of diverse cultural narratives of nature connection. The project aims to increase the engagement of communities with the natural world & create a space for sharing experiences of nature. Through a programme of participatory workshops, the creation & presentation of public realm installation, and a major intercultural event at the Cathedral, the project will explore how.
Rochester Cathedral
In 2026, We Live Here, Medway Diversity Forum & Rochester Cathedral will co-create a communal celebration of diverse cultural narratives of nature connection. The project aims to increase the engagement of communities with the natural world & create a space for sharing experiences of nature. Through a programme of participatory workshops, the creation & presentation of public realm installation, and a major intercultural event at the Cathedral, the project will explore how.
Partners
