'The Wilderwild' at Deer Shed Festival 2017

North Yorkshire's Deer Shed Festival which happens from Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd July 2017. has announced its science workshops. 

Deer Shed likes to regard itself as a family-centric festival due to the team’s determination that every Deer Shedder, young and old alike, should leave the festival feeling enriched from experiencing its array of music, arts, science and sports activities.

It was revealed back in December that the 2017 theme would be The Wilderwild, a place on the fringes of Baldersby Park where nature has been left to its own devices to create a wilderness filled with magic and adventure for Deer Shedders to explore. The aim is to reconnect folk with the wonders of nature, reminding them of its infinite ability to enthral, entertain and enlighten us.

Matthew Wilson – an award-winning garden landscape designer, writer and television and radio broadcaster, particularly well known as a panellist on Gardeners’ Question Time – has advised the festival on all the best natural, outdoorsy, eco-friendly, fun and educational workshops, activities and performances you could possibly fit into the already overgrown wilderness. Everything, from building an awesome and elaborate den to tree climbing and learning the skills of a blacksmith, has been given the big, green thumbs-up from Matthew and his gang of gardening friends.

The Wilderwild

In partnership with The Flanagan Collective, Deer Shed Festival will present a special Arts Council-funded promenade theatre production, created specifically for a debut performance in The Wilderwild. The story is inspired by the area’s topography and explores the relationships between its various inhabitants, both mortal and mythical. This isn’t just any old show – oh no! Characters will spill into other areas of the festival site to engage with the audience, encouraging everyone to immerse themselves in the wonderful woodland world. If you thought the festival’s award-winning ‘At The Movies’ film production was something to behold, just wait until you witness this truly wild, unforgettable spectacle.

Remember how fun building your own den as a child used to be? The Den Experiment believe the experience of den building is fundamental to children's development, allowing them to learn through play and exploration. Despite the proven value of den building activities, research suggests that it is dying out. They will appear at #DeerShed8 with the aim of preserving the art of den building by providing opportunities to learn a broad range of skills, including team work, problem solving, mathematical skills and creativity in a den workshop. 

Something that The Wilderwild has in abundance is mini-beasts. Mini-beaster Graham Branwell is heading to Baldersby Park and, with his expert help, you can explore the outdoors and have fun collecting spiders, caterpillars, butterflies, bees, ladybirds, ants and worms using a variety of simple techniques and basic equipment, before returning the beastie creepy crawlies home to their natural habitats.

Here’s another trip down memory lane: think back to the halcyon days of scouting when you would embark on a trip to a faraway wood to sit around a campfire eating marshmallows on a stick and singing traditional songs. Fancy reliving them? Join Sally Egan for a trip into The Wilderwild for some wild singing with the birds. Classics like Kum Ba Yah are bound to be brought back to life, while we’re sure you can slip in some songs from main stage headliners. Kate Tempest around a campfire, anyone?

Never mind just singing with the birds. Ever been totally envious as they soar freely through the sky? Ever wished you could run as fast as a cheetah? Maybe you just wish you could relax all day, moving at one mile an hour, like a sloth! Deer Shed’s good friends at West Yorkshire Playhouse will present an acting workshop where festival goers are tasked with hunting for, and channelling, their inner spirit animal.

Back in the days of yore, if you needed something crafting out of metal, you’d go to the black smith. Swords, armour and horseshoes would be on offer, but no Deer Shedder needs a sword or armour and the hobby horses don’t need hooves! Instead, with Abundant Earth, you can heat up some metal until it’s malleable and bash it to make some lovely hooks to take home for hanging in the house or garden.

The Abundant Earth team will also run a felt making workshop, showing you how to turn the ordinary scraps of felt you might have lying around the house into bracelets and small felted rugs, and willow weaving workshops, demonstrating how to make various creations using ancient willow weaving practices, adapted so you can take the lovely ornaments, like willow flowers, home.

As if there wasn’t already enough arty activities on offer at #DeerShed8, there will also be the opportunity to dabble with Land Art for Kids. The company make art and sculptures using materials you find in nature: leaves, twigs, pebbles, rocks, flowers and anything else you can think of. Be imaginative and resourceful with your creations, whilst learning about nature and natural places.

Hands up who loves the sensation of bare feet on wet grass, paddling in a cool mountain stream, padding along a leafy path in autumn and having a good ole splash in a muddy puddle. If you don't know what we're raving about, join Padding Around Yorkshire on their guided barefoot walks around Baldersby Park. Everyone will look mad but boy does it feel good to finally release your feet from those sneaker cells.

There really is no better feeling than striding through the fields, mud and streams of Baldersby Park; the wind blowing through your hair as you are cheered across the finish line by family and friends. This year, Deer Shed are offering both a 3k and a 6k Wilderwild Run, so you can test yourself a little more if you fancy a challenge. Equally, nobody will judge you if had a bit too much fun on Friday or Saturday night to really push yourself to the limit the next morning!

The UK has at least fifty species of native trees, and many more of introduced non-native trees. Sometimes it’s easy-peasy to identify their species, but often you have to look closely for subtle details. Is it a broadleaf or is it a conifer? How do the seasons affect its features? All these burning questions, and more, will be answered by Tom Coxhead (Coppice Worker and Arboriculturist)on his tree identification walk!

Only some dare enter the depths of The Wilderwild but, if you are brave enough, come to the KindleWoods base camp to learn forgotten secrets from their tribe of woodlanders. With KindleWoods, you can learn the art of fire lighting, cook up some crazy creations with Howl Bushcraft in their wild kitchen or muck about in their mud kitchen. 

What is always the greatest urge you feel when you see giant trees, some of the most impressive specimens of the natural world? Climb! Deer Shed will be welcoming Jessica Herbert, the Head of Horticulture at Askham Bryan College, who will be scaling The Wilderwild’s most impressive trees, and helping you to conquer them with her. It is guaranteed that this will be the most extreme bush-crafting you are ever likely to experience.

Askham Bryan will also be building a large communal willow sculpture; hosting a wormery workshop; examining the muddy stuff beneath our feet as soil detectives and soil textural analysers; burning wood to make pretty patterns in a pyrography (literally meaning “FIRE WRITING”: cool, right?) workshop; seed sowing to show you how best to give life to lovely flowery creations; and composting to teach you about the most Earth-loving, environmentally friendly way of disposing of kitchen and garden waste!

The Deer Shed sea monster was born in 2012 when the theme was MONSTERS and the audience helped dress him with scales (made from recycled file dividers from Asda). He’s now quite tatty and the festival would allegedly like to set fire to him, but all that plastic going up in flames is not very green, excuse the pun. Instead, he’ll be re-clothed him in Wilderwild foliage first, and then set on fire. Eat your heart out Greenman!

Imagine what it would be like if your garden were Wilderwild-sized. By the time you finish cutting the grass, the side you started on would be overgrown again. #DeerShed8 will pioneer a ground-breaking workshop: miniature gardens for every man, woman or child who wants a lush lawn without labouring all day. Let your creativity blossom – who will be given the Best Deer Shed Show Garden Award?

Many great artists over the years have chosen flowers as central subjects in their work. So once you’ve made a mini garden, you can try drawing its flowers! The botanical illustrations workshop – the art of depicting the form, colour, and details of plant species, frequently in watercolour paintings – might even produce the next Monet.

The pioneers of breathing circles proclaimed, “We’ve discovered the power of our own breath. Once you find out what breathing can do, you want more of it.” Deer Shed aren’t quite claiming to have discovered oxygen, but they will be running a truly relaxing breathing circles workshop in The Wilderwild!

In addition, the Deer Shed team have curated a vast array of arty-crafty woodland workshops allowing Deer Shedders to make lovely mementos all weekend. These include the creation of: sun print art, bird feeders, tin can lanterns, insect coasters, wig-wams, fairy doors and houses, willow creations, acorn paintings, nature crowns, woodland tribal heads, clay tree faces and sun catchers. Phew, that’s a long list. 

Finally, keep an eye open for #WilderWatch on Deer Shed’s Twitter feed (@DeerShed). The festival will use the hashtag to preview and provide updates on all the goings on in and around the Wilderwild. They also want Deer Shedders to send in pictures you’ve taken of wild nature on your doorstep using the hashtag, for a chance to win a very special festival goody bundle. Just make sure you’re following Deer Shed, mention them in a tweet with your wilderness photograph and include #WilderWatch.

All of the above joins join the previously confirmed music acts, and more, which include headliners Teenage Fanclub, Kate Tempest, & The Divine Comedy, plus Honeyblood, Ibibio Sound Machine, Arab Strap, Cabbage, and many more including the comedy line-up, with more still to be announced. For all the details so far please see the line-up page.

buy tickets now >

Tickets are on sale, with an adult (16+) weekend ticket is currently priced at £135, a teen (aged 11 - 15 years) weekend ticket is priced at £45, child (aged 6 - 10 years) weekend ticket is priced at £45, child (aged 3 - 5 years) weekend ticket is priced at £10, toddler (aged 0-2 years) is free. Free camping is included. Prices include booking fees. Weekend campervan & caravan pass is priced at £50, add £15 for awning or tent. Car parking £10.

All the kids activities and workshops free of charge.

Deer Shed Festival offers a main stage with second acoustic stage in the Deer Shed itself, plus plenty of clean toilets and baby changing facilities. There will be a main bar as well as a cocktail bar, a large food tent with seating and high chairs. As well as the music the event offers vintage art and craft stalls, kids tent and outside play area, and will have a welfare and first aid tent.

The Arts programme includes cinema, PG-rated comedy, commissioned theatre, artists at work, illustrators, graffiti artists, spoken word, circus, cabaret, storytelling, and more usually centred around the theme.

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