Join us for an afternoon and evening of immersive storytelling, film, dance, music, and food at Omved Gardens, an oasis and urban greenspace in north London.

Presented in partnership with Emergence Magazine, Icarus Complex, and Where the Leaves Fall - three publications that are creatively exploring the human relationship to the living world - this event seeks to bring together a community of people interested in ecological transformation.

Throughout the afternoon and evening, there will be space for thought, discovery, and new connections. We will be announcing more over the coming weeks but here are some of the things to look forward to:

You will be greeted with an elemental welcoming ritual, grounding you into the surroundings as you enter the gardens. Through this ancient ritualistic practice, you will engage with your senses as you transition from the outside world into an alternate world of possibility.

Held by OmVed Gardens' artist in residence Maia Magoga, in collaboration with OmVed's head of urban growing and medical herbalist, Vicky Chown.

Dancer and climate activist Marla King, a member of the Re-Earth Initiative, will explore a dance concept through improvisation - taking inspiration from the beautiful surroundings at OmVed and connecting authentically through dance to the natural environment.

After the performance, in a Q&A, Marla will speak about why dance can be an important medium of expression in the fight for climate and social justice.

Earthrise, directed by Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, tells the story of the first image captured of the Earth from space in 1968. Told solely by the Apollo 8 astronauts, the film recounts their experiences and memories and explores the beauty, awe, and grandeur of the Earth against the blackness of space. This iconic image had a powerful impact on the astronauts and the world, offering a perspective that transcended national, political, and religious boundaries.

Eerie, hypnotic and experimental, the second film Upstream, is a film by writer Robert Macfarlane and director Rob Petit. Filmed entirely from the air, this groundbreaking film follows the course of the River Dee in Scotland—the highest of any river in Britain—from its headwaters, all the way to its source in the Cairngorm mountains.

With words spoken by Julie Fowlis and an original score by the Oscar-nominated composer Hauschka, the film’s soundscape weaves together field-recordings of the river, and the birds and creatures which live along it, the place-names and stories - dark and light - of the Cairngorms, creating a 'songline' that draws the viewer up, against the flow, into wildness, winter and strangeness.

After the films, Emergence Founder and filmmaker Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee will join Upstream director Rob Petit in a conversation and Q&A.

Minute Bodies: The Intimate World of F. Percy Smith is a meditative, immersive film from Stuart A. Staples and David Reeve - a tribute to the astonishing work and achievements of naturalist, inventor and pioneering filmmaker Frank Percy Smith.

Smith worked in the early years of the 20th century, developing various cinematographic and micro-photographic techniques to capture nature's secrets in action.

Minute Bodies is an interpretative edit that combines Smith's original footage with a new contemporary score, by Tindersticks, to create a hypnotic, alien yet familiar dreamscape that connects us to the sense of wonder Smith must have felt as he peered through his own lenses and saw those micro-worlds for the first time.

The vegetarian menu will be a collaboration between OmVed Gardens and chef Chris Honor, who food writer Giles Coran described as “a nailed-on culinary genius”.

Chris has worked in some of the world’s most celebrated restaurants including the Burj Al Arab (Dubai), the Dharmawangsa (Jakarta), the Dorchester (London) and the Mena House (Cairo). The Al Mahara restaurant was considered the third best in the world at the time when Chris was sous chef.

“There is height and volume and colour and blush. You stand before it and sigh, for you know this food, this shameless, sensory largesse, will make you feel very good about yourself.”, Jay Raynor, The Observer.

In addition the OmVed team will be preparing a range of seasonal garden salads and drinks, and local independent wine specialist Bottle will be serving up bio-dynamic and vegan wines – selected to complement the dishes.

Some scholarships are available; please email us, if interested.