Layered Landscapes
Layered Landscapes is a partnership project developed and delivered by North West Kent Countryside Partnership in collaboration with LV21.
Working with local community groups, schools and visitors to the Sevenoaks area, Layered Landscapes promotes and celebrates the unique landscape and geology of the region through the lens of the Cross Channel Geopark.
The year-long community engagement project ran from April 2024 to March 2025 grasping the new opportunities that the Cross Channel Geopark provides to promote understanding and appreciation of the Kent Downs National Landscape, encouraging sustainable behaviours among the urban residents of the Geopark.
A programme of accompanying public events, schools workshops and community participatory creative activities complemented the work of the Cross Channel Geopark and positively contribute to the process of the area attaining aspirational UNESCO Global Geopark status.
Working with professional artists workshop participants learned about the landscape features of the Kent Downs in a fun and engaging way, while creating new artworks inspired by the theme of Layered Landscapes. Through mixed media making techniques, using a variety of mediums and environmentally sustainable, recycled and natural materials, the workshop activities encouraged participants of all ages to explore the multiple layers of the local landscape; starting from high up with the sky and descending through the layers of trees, flora and fauna, grasslands, rivers and watercourses, before delving into the secrets of the chalk and underlaying soil.
Layered Landscapes - Community Exhibition
Listen to the Soundscapes
"I especially enjoyed handling the natural prompts to get inspiration for creating the artwork and using the variety of tools and techniques to make our marks on the clay.”KAB Gravesham Art Group participant
"I really enjoyed how fun and creative the workshop was and how free you were to create your own landscape artwork while learning about our surroundings."Primary school student
"What a fantastic project celebrating the local landscape!”Public drop-in activity participant
"It was a perfect mix of learning about the Geopark and the unique Sevenoaks landscape and then getting creative with the clay.”Community workshop participant
"I like how creative the workshop is and enjoyed finding out new facts about our environment."Primary school student
"Such fun and engaging activities for children to explore their environment.”Primary school teacher
"Very thoughtful and enjoyable tasks for the whole family. Thank you!”Public drop-in activity participant
"I really enjoyed using a different style of art form I haven't used before to learn about the landscape.”Secondary school student
"I really enjoyed learning about our countryside! I loved making the collage and will definitely make it again at home with my family.”Secondary school student
Our Events
Artwork © Duncan Grant
The Layered Landscapes project launched at the Lullingstone Country Park Open Day on Sunday 9 June 2024 with a variety of free drop-in taster activities, from cyanotype ‘sun printing’ with artist Duncan Grant to plant hammering and souvenir badge making with the project team.
A number of accompanying free community events took place over the summer / autumn 2024, inviting participants of all ages to explore the multiple layers of the remarkable landscape or delve deeper into a particular layer with a specific theme. Activities varied from the Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve (Festival of Nature at Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve) drop-in workshop creating peg bugs with focus on learning about the flying insects and pollinators while making simple automata of winged bugs, such as bees, butterflies, beetles and dragonflies, to family-friendly bat walk and stargazing at nighttime, exploration of what lays beneath our feet under ground, cloud spotting and taking a closer look at the waterways.
A tailored programme of workshops was also developed to engage local young people, schools and community groups with the project activities.
If you would like to find out more about the project and what we plan to do next please contact us.
