Wild Hope: Why the Arts and Nature Matter More Than Ever

Join Uná Meehan in conversation with Rowan Cannon, Founder and Artistic Director at Wild Rumpus. In an era defined by ecological crisis, climate anxiety and rapid technological change, many people feel overwhelmed by the scale of the challenges we face. Yet across the UK a growing movement is using arts, culture and shared experiences in nature to reconnect people with each other and with the living world. Wild Rumpus, the creative force behind festivals such as Just So and Timber, has spent over a decade designing immersive cultural experiences in forests and wild landscapes. Their work invites thousands of people each year to step away from everyday life and encounter nature through storytelling, performance, music and collective participation. But can experiences like these do more than entertain? Can art in nature help us imagine different futures, rebuild community, and nurture hope in the face of environmental uncertainty? In this conversation, Rowan Cannon and colleagues from Wild Rumpus explore: Why shared experiences in nature can transform how we see the world, The role of imagination, creativity and storytelling in responding to the climate crisis, How festivals and cultural events can create collective moments of hope and possibility, Why connection to nature is increasingly vital for wellbeing and resilience. The session will also invite the audience to reflect on their own experiences of nature, creativity and community, and to consider how small cultural moments can contribute to wider social and environmental change.