Six natural resource managers, scientists, academics, and cultural consultants from Australia and the United Kingdom (UK) will come together next month to discuss an issue at the heart of international arts project, Mosses and Marshes — the future of important wetlands and the place they have in our communities.
On Thursday 11 November, the international panel will convene via a public Zoom event to consider alternative ways of understanding and valuing special environments to inform and help shape their future, with a focus on the Macquarie Marshes (Australia) and the Fenn’s, Whixall, and Bettisfield Mosses (UK). Registrations are now open with an invitation extended to a live audience to contribute to the conversation.
The panellists are Tim Hosking (Australia), Kate Mildner (Australia), Fleur and Laurance Magick Dennis of Milan Dhiiyaan (Australia), Dave Pritchard (UK), Dr Tim Acott (UK), and Dr Joan Daniels (UK).
Dubbo Regional Council’s (DRC’s) Cultural Development Coordinator and facilitator of the discussion, Jessica Moore said Mosses and Marshes is an environmental art project that questions how we think about the environment through a series of works, writings and discussions, with the inclusion of multiple voices extending the impact of the project beyond the gallery walls.
“It is important that we support creative engagement with our specific environment, its forms, its ecology and how that environment shapes our lives. The word ‘regional’ is often used as a catchall term as though all regions are the same. The specialty of really know our region and its environment brings connection, value and a true understanding of how we protect it,” said Ms Moore.
The panel discussion links to DRC’s SPARC Cultural Plan, which highlights how passionate the community is about celebrating the interconnection between our location and creative works.
“We are proud to support this project, which is not only passionately celebrating and supporting regional ecosystems, but connecting it to the wider international discussions on the future of profoundly important, but often overlooked, ecosystems such as the mosses and marshes,’ said Ms Moore.
The format of the event will also see pre-recorded provocations fed into the discussion from scientists, natural resource managers, land managers, community and artists from both countries.
The Mosses and Marshes project is led by Dubbo-based artist, Kim V. Goldsmith and UK-based artist, Andrew Howe (Shropshire), who have worked together over the last three years. They have created a series of videos, soundscapes, paintings, prints and handmade papers for exhibition, which is now showing in the UK. They’ve also developed a project book, and a series of public events in Australia and the UK. Both have spent time researching, observing, documenting and exploring their respective wetlands and surrounding communities.
In Australia, this event has been assisted with funding by Dubbo Regional Council, the NSW Government through Create NSW, the Australian Cultural Fund, and supported by Orana Arts. In the UK, the event is being supported by Arts Council England, Natural England and the Shropshire Wildlife Trust.
To register, and learn more about the panellists and the discussion, visit
