The Wild Is Here: Neighbours In Nature

Jo Chalkblack and Anna Haydock-Wilson are creating art and activities with local residents in Brislington, St Anne’s and Broomhill between April and July 2025 aiming to ‘bring to life’ some of Nature Actions listed in the Brislington Community Climate Action Plan.

The Brislington Climate Action Plan outlines priorities, developed from conversations and workshops with people who live in and connect with Brislington.

For this project the artists have chosen to focus on:

• Residents have resources and skills to encourage wildlife and improve biodiversity where they live
• Children and young people are supported to access and benefit from local green and blue spaces and have the confidence, skills and resources take action in their area for nature and wildlife

The artists have been documenting local nature, most significantly a BioBlitz which included a bat
walk, moth trapping, river dipping and identifying and cataloguing plant and animal species in St
Anne’s Woods. They are doing fun activities with children and young people naming and making art
about local wildlife.

Jo is a St Anne’s resident and Anna is a St Anne’s House studio holder, both have worked with
communities across Brislington and experience a passion for nature among local people.

They were involved in developing the Climate Action Plan for Brislington and Jo is chair of Friends of Brislington Brook.

Through decades of working with on creative urban nature projects with diverse communities
across London and the Southwest, Jo and Anna have seen so many people benefit from investigating
and enhancing their day-to-day environments and are keen to help spread the joy about what
people are doing in this neighbourhood and let people know how they can join in.

The Artists

Anna Haydock-Wilson

Connects people through participatory activities to encourage discussion and
action around shifting societal status quos. Her activities have engaged people from diverse communities across London and in the South West. Collaborative community initiatives include Art
under the Flyover, Peaceful Portway, Art within the Cracks and acts of (in)visible repair. 

Anna studied fine art and independent filmmaking in London, and recent mixed media installations, Finding Common Ground, Centre of Gravity, Soapworks Bristol (2020) and Place Portrait Spike Island (2023).

annahaydockwilson.com / @annahaydockwilson / anna@artwithinthecracks.org

Jo Chalkblack (Bushell) 

As a social practice artist and creative producer, my work focuses on collaboration with communities—particularly those facing barriers to participation. I co-create inclusive, imaginative spaces that support belonging, connection, and collective expression through creative processes.

My interdisciplinary practice is shaped by the voices of underrepresented groups and explores connections to place, community, and the natural world. Projects range from co-designed climate-themed films and site-specific performances to multigenerational storytelling and nature-based wellbeing sessions.

With over 16 years’ experience in adult and youth services and 14 years of land-based work—mainly in woodlands—my approach is deeply rooted in ecological awareness. I use nature as both a medium and metaphor, shaping an embodied practice grounded in cycles, transitions, and care.

During the “Our Place, Our Valley” project, I identified unequal access to nature and creative experiences in my local area, Brislington. Since then, I’ve worked with refugee families, young people, and others with mobility or health challenges to co-design accessible creative pathways, partnering with arts organisations, charities, and statutory services.

I’m currently exploring how adaptive technologies can enhance access to green spaces and meaningful placemaking, weaving together story, heritage, and multicultural perspectives. At its heart, my work is about deep connection—through art, nature, and community.

chalkblack.com

@chalkblack_jo.  

Get Involved

All these activities will be shown in a film promoting climate action which also profiles local wildlife groups including Friends of Eastwood Farm, Friends of Brislington Brook, Friends of St Anne’s Park, Friends of St Peters School, Woodcroft Community Orchard and some amazing local individuals who enhance our urban wildlife.

What’s Happened So Far?

BioBlitz was a chance to explore local species, try river-dipping, hunt for trees, and get creative with free arts activities. It was all completely free to attend.

Ran over 24 hours: Friday 24 April & Saturday 26 April 2025.

“We were thrilled to have 16-year-old nature enthusiast, artist and photographer Ethan on board! He led a butterfly ID walk and helped us capture footage for a community film all about Brislington’s wild spaces.” – Jo

“Filming the Bioblitz organised by Friends of Brislington Brook this April was incredible. Over a
hundred people came along and the expressions of wonderment on their faces when they discovered
creatures they’d never seen or learned a new fact about an everyday plant was beautiful” – Anna

Species Imaginarium Session

Tuesday 06 May, 5–7pm 2025.

In this playful, curious session led by Anna and Jo, participants of St Anne’s House regular youth session, were invited to dive into the weird and wonderful world of species identification—with a twist. Armed with an eclectic toolkit of wildlife recording resources—from planting-pocket costumes and insect specimen bottles to species ID cards, voice recorders, and iNaturalist-loaded devices—the group set out to explore what happens when imagination runs wild.

Could you recite long lists of Latin species names at top speed without bursting into laughter? What might a voice recorder capture: gibberish, poetry, or a new dialect of the natural world? Participants wandered the outdoors as living planters, collecting found natural materials in their costume pockets while embodying the spirit of hybrid creatures—part real, part imagined.

Together, the group created new species by fusing local flora and fauna with fictitious elements, sketched surreal hybrids, and even filmed mock-interviews with Latin-speaking planter-pranksters. It was messy, curious, creative—and a brilliant way to decompress after the stress of GCSEs.

The Species Imaginarium invited everyone to engage with nature in a creative way, blurring the line between fieldwork and fantasy.