Resonance: film screening and panel discussion

Radical acts of care: for resilient landscapes and communities

The UK is set on a course to reach legally binding targets for nature recovery and for ‘net zero’. What happens in the land use sector is a significant part of this. Taking inspiration from their work within the UK’s Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People (LUNZ) Hub, Cumbria artists Harriet Fraser and Rob Fraser set up the Resonance project.

Resonance is a living 100-year artwork: seven circles of seven silver birch trees located on seven lines radiating from the centre of the Lake District National Park. The birch trees were collected and planted between 2024 and 2026, with more than 130 people involved.

Resonance has been described as a radical act of care: first the removal of 49 birch trees from a peat bog in the process of restoration, and then the planting of these trees in seven circles, each of seven trees, in seven sites across the Lake District National Park.

Each event has been an occasion for collective endeavour: hands-on involvement, site specific conversations, and discussions about land use more broadly, bringing people together from different specialisms. The LUNZ Hub Resonance 'Big Tent' at the Centre for National Parks and Protected Areas, University of Cumbria, in March 2025, expanded the conversations further.

This event will premiere the Resonance film, followed by a panel discussion delving into what radical acts of care may look like as the UK transitions its land use structure and practices, and as people work collectively to nurture the land and ourselves.

Are radical acts disruptive? Might they involve recognising and nurturing what’s precious? What are the hidden or missed opportunities? Who is involved, and how does care manifest across different scales – from a field, or peat bog, to a country? And what can artistic interventions offer as part of this conversation?

About Resonance

Resonance is a richly collaborative project and has been made possible thanks to many individuals and organisations.

Our thanks go to the LUNZ Hub, Natural England, National Trust, Lake District National Park Authority, Forestry England, University of Cumbria, Centre for National Parks and Protected Areas, Friends of the Lake District, Muncaster Castle estate, and to all the farmers, commoners, and volunteers who have joined along the way.

Creative outputs have been developed with filmmakers, illustrators and a musician from the PLACE Collective.

The LUNZ Hub is a consortium of 30+ organisations from the four UK nations. Its objective is to equip UK policymakers, industry, civil society and communities with the evidence they need to drive transformational change in land use.

It is part of the Transforming Land Use for Net zero, Nature and People (LUNZ) programme co-funded by UKRI, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (on behalf of England and Wales), the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs of Northern Ireland, and the Scottish Government. 

Booking information

• Advance booking for this event is required. In order to book you will need an account on our website. If you already have an account you will be prompted to log in when you click 'book now'. Please create an account if you do not have one yet (you do not need to be a member of the Society to create an account).
• Joining instructions will be included in your confirmation email.

If you have any questions or require assistance with your booking, please email events@rgs.org

This event has been organised by the North West (Cumbria and Lancashire) regional committee with the UK LUNZ Hub.