Valuing Landscape and Environment: Arts and Humanities Perspectives

The research proposes to consolidate and enhance the impact of the Landscape and Environment programme through objectives that could not have been achieved during the term of the programme itself. There is now a compelling case for the three main outputs, a book, performance work and relaunched website, as it is now evident that the value of the programme has increased exponentially in its final year, notably with some large projects with high public value. This fellowship will not extend the programme, it will transform it.

The research will identify and take forward programme findings which address and promote the broad issue of cultural value and promote the particular theme of public value through forms of public engagement. For landscape and environment the relevant fields are those of design, conservation, policy and management, public artwork and exhibition, local belonging, postgraduate teaching, professional training and lifelong learning. The fellowship will further develop two areas of its original specification, 'sites of creativity' and 'arenas of public concern' and establish new connections to the main area of project awards 'fields of scholarly enquiry'. The fellowship will explore the most effective ways to connect theory and practice in landscape and environment matters, to integrate interpretation in texts with implementation on the ground, academic scholarship with site management and public understanding. It will also consider the the example of landscape and environment as a model field for arts and humanities research concerned with public value and engagement.

The fellowship staff will comprise a team of three, the established partnership of programme director and programme co-ordinator with additionally a full time Research Associate, with the requisite expertise in qualitative methods.

The first period of the fellowship will focus on inputs. It will collect, collate and analyse information and material. This will be done by reviewing programme activity interviewing award holders and organizing themed, on site, workshops with award holders and stakeholders, including programme partners from the National Trust, English Heritage and Tate. The emergent theme of environmental change will be captured by liaising with the 12 networks under a programme related AHRC which continue until mid 2011. A wider review of relevant literature from outside the programme will also be undertaken, and linkages developed with international organizations concerned with the public value of landscape and environment, particularly those with whom liaison's have been established during the programme. During this first period of the fellowship a redeveloped programme website will document and display the progress of fellowship activity, including posting working papers, case studies and other topical issues relevant to the project.

The second period of the fellowship will focus on outputs. The first will be a commissioned, performance work on the theme of landscape and local identity, adaptable to different sites and venues, performed live and recorded in formats which can be accessed in situ. This work will be part of a showcase event for the fellowship findings in London. The main output of the fellowship is a book, authored by the PI in collaboration with award holders and partners. This will be professionally designed to be accessible to a wide ranging readership. Writings throughout the fellowship will contribute to this book, including working papers and publications for practically minded organizations in the art, design and conservation sector. In this second period the website will continue to document and display material, including the second of two Newsletters, and act as an archive for the fellowship findings, an outcome which will be sustained after the end date of the award.

Main users and beneficiaries and how they would benefit

- public sector: heritage, conservation and access organizations, specifically English Heritage through collaboration, also English Nature, Heritage Link, CABE, Cultural Olympiad: Discovering Places

- the third sector: charities, specifically the National Trust through collaboration; museums and galleries, specifically Tate through collaboration

- policy makers: national and trans-national, Council of Europe/European Union; through European Landscape Convention (see international organizations below) to which the UK is a signatory

- international organizations: European Science Foundation, through the implementation of its Science Policy Briefing 'Landscape in a Changing World: Bridging Divides, Integrating Disciplines, Serving Society', a humanities driven document the programme director decisively shaped and co-authored and the follow up EuroCores (collaborative research) theme proposal 'Eurolandscape: Using Landscape in Social and Economic Sustainability' . Le:Notre: European Commission Thematic Network in Landscape Architecture.

- professional and practitioner: via Landscape Research Group

- media: BBC4/2 and Radio 4 initiatives on landscape art & archaeology

- local communities: participating communities in performance event

- commercial/private sector: landscape consultancies (through collaboration with Landscape Research Group)