‘Dawn After Night, Spring after Winter’ are new, free games for two trails by artists David Blandy and Daniel Locke for Nature Calling and Surrey Hills National Landscape. Walk into a fantasy adventure on Hutchinson’s Bank in Croydon and become an observer from another world on Box Hill
“We visited Hutchinson’s Bank with children from Rowdown School. It was the first time many of them had visited, and it was so good to see them revel in the space, this oasis of lush green countryside tucked away down a small alley beside a recycling centre in suburbia. Everyone deserves access to that joy,” said David Blandy and Daniel Locke.
Nature Calling is a new landmark arts project encouraging new audiences to better understand and connect with their local natural landscapes. Six artists and six writers have been commissioned by six National Landscapes in England.
Artist, writer and game-maker David Blandy, with graphic novelist and artist Daniel Locke, have been working with the communities of New Addington to create free inspirational adventure games for exploring their local landscapes. Responding to the Surrey Hills landscape of Box Hill and Hutchinson’s Bank in Croydon, ‘Dawn After Night, Spring after Winter’ links the community’s lived experience with the sylvan world around them.
The game trails encourage seeing and experiencing the natural world with fresh eyes, inviting people to enter into the adventures as they walk the trails. ‘Dawn After Night, Spring after Winter’ can be played at home or while walking through the landscape, offering new and unusual ways to reflect on nature and landscape. With poetry, writing, drawing and game design, they have devised an intricate map, an immersive audio-tour and an evocative game publication of local mythologies discovered during the artist’s research. The two free games can be accessed online or by booklets available at both sites.
These new game trails have been created to inspire and foster a connection between local and new people to the Surrey Hills. It was commissioned by Surrey Hills National Landscape for Nature Calling and produced by Surrey Hill Arts. Executive producers are the National Landscape Association and Activate Performing Arts. It is supported by Arts Council England and DEFRA.
David Blandy and Daniel Locke said: “With the game trail at Hutchinson’s Bank we pose the questions – Has the world become enchanted or does a great Danger threaten all? Do you seek a loved one, or are you trying to return home? By the end of the trail, you will have created your own unique story, a story intimately connected to the landscape you’ve just (re-)discovered.”
“The second game trail at Box Hill asks you to imagine yourself as an observer from another world, surveying the wonders of this place. The game will get people to imagine what they would think of trees and moss and butterflies as if they’d never encountered anything like this before, as if everything was new. We hope they’ll experience the intensity of that novelty and feel the precious fragility of these green spaces that we take for granted.”
‘Nature’s Anthem – A Journey through the Surrey Hills’ is a new rap by Still Shadey, an award-winning rapper-songwriter from Croydon. Inspired by conversations with New Addington residents on their experiences of nature and visits to the Surrey Hills, Still Shadey has crafted a meaningful work with lo-fi beats and atmospheric vocals.
Still Shadey said: “Growing up in the diverse community of New Addington, I experienced firsthand the power of nature as a source of healing and inspiration. Raised by Nigerian migrant parents in Croydon, my connection to nature was limited, but those rare moments spent in green spaces left a profound impact on me. Through this project, I’m sharing that transformative experience with others, particularly those communities who don’t usually visit their local landscapes.’
The project has been designed to have a low environmental footprint, primarily consisting of a freely distributed game booklet with maps (available online), an audio tour (hosted online) and small designed circular metal plaques fixed to existing wayfinding markers in the landscape.
Carrie Chapman supported the engagement with young people from New Addington and the surrounding boroughs in the project. She is a qualified teacher and Level 3 Forest School Leader passionate about the mental health and well-being of children and the benefits of children spending time outdoors and connecting with the natural world.
