Melissa Davies

ACE Lottery funded R&D for a long-term project exploring individual connection to place and conversation with land in Cumbria’s Eskdale Valley. See Heaf project page above for immersion in valley voices or find out how you can contribute your own.

Co-creation project with The Creative Space, Silloth (funded by Cumberland CC) Using poetry as a social activity to explore how the rural seascapes of Cumbria and northern Norway connect. Winter 2025 visual exhibition in Cumbria, following temporary installation in Fleinvær.

Commissioned by Cumberland County Council and in collaboration with Victoria Junior School. A visual poem and artist response for display on the high street during the Sound & Light Festival.

As part of Florence Arts summer season, I’ve delivered a zine making & visual poetry session for ages 12-16. Focus of the workshop is their connection to coast and exploration of found material.

Collaboration with The National Trust, communities of Melbreak & two schools. Using their response to prompt, I wrote a collage poem, designed and installed it as a trail in Lanthwaite Wood.

Musical collaboration with Swiss singer Sylena Vincent. Re-crafting a series of poems from The Arctic Diaries as lyrics to be reinterpreted as songs.

Collaboration with The National Trust & Cumbria Wildlife Trust. Outdoor session with school children to create poems for display sharing the restoration project at Loweswater.

Communal poem created as a window display over 48 hours during KPF. Material gathered from workshops in an elderly care home and a family centre local to the town.

Delivered two poetry sessions on the theme of ‘What the tree said’ for primary aged children from the finalist schools in the eco awards programme.

Collaborative performance with classical guitarist James Booth. Involved writing new material for performance to original compositions as well as adapting existing poems.

Commissioned by Great Place Lakes & Dales to create a piece for exhibition at Brewery Arts Centre. ‘Between the Trees’ questions what qualifies someone to contribute to climate conversations.

48 hour live poetry ‘building’ in restaurant window. Involved gathering public responses to ‘How do you feel when you step out of your front door?’ and creating visual display of the collage poem.

Collaborative project with film photographer Hugo Hunt following Sense of Here residency. Exploring different physical and metaphorical lines across Lakeland fells with a long poem and series of images.

Funded by Great Place Lakes & Dales; designed and lead a 3 day residential for young creatives in Northern England. Purpose of the project was to explore creativity and land relationship as well as create support network.