Explore poetry, sound, walking and connection to the natural world.
Guided walks: 1-3 pm, Sunday 20 September, Saturday 26 September, Thursday 1 October, Saturday 10 October.
Self-guided walks: Available from September.
If You Could Speak to the World… is a site-responsive audio-based walking trail through Northern Roots’ 160-acre green space in Oldham. Developed over a series of participatory workshops led by artist Phillip Davenport and co-produced by people from Rochdale and Oldham Active Recovery (ROAR), the work brings together poetry, music and field recordings.
Foster deeper connections with wellbeing, each other and the natural world through walking, listening, memory and place – positioning nature and nurture as art.
The journey to
The mountain of angels.
If all else fails,
Walk out of here, on the breeze.
Amanda
Across September, the audio trail will be activated via a month-long programme of guided walks led by the people who created it and as part of Northern Roots celebration when it opens the doors to a brand-new Welcome Building this September. The trail features original music by composer Sophie Cooper, whose composition Echoes of Reclamation was recorded with the Milnrow Brass Band, adding a rich sonic layer to the experience. Audiences are invited to move through the landscape with these voices as companions: listening, pausing and encountering Northern Roots through stories of resilience, memory and connection. The walks offer an intimate, embodied way to experience art outside of the gallery, where personal histories and ecological attention conjoin in shared acts of listening.
Appetite for life.
Open and honest.
The start of anybody’s journey.
Soft Wind, Group poem
Post September, the audio trail will remain as a lasting community resource, freely available for visitors to experience independently. Each return offers the possibility of a different encounter and to discover something new. Walking becomes a way of navigating life’s pitfalls and, like the landscape itself, is continually evolving.
If You Could Speak to the World… is a Portraits of Recovery commission, developed and delivered in partnership with Northern Roots, Turning Point (Oldham and Rochdale) and generously funded by Transport for Greater Manchester under Wheels and Walks programme.
About the artists
Phillip Davenport
Phillip Davenport is a poet, artist and curator whose practice spans visual poetry, performance, publishing and socially engaged collaboration. Over the past 20 years, he has worked extensively with communities experiencing homelessness in Manchester and Cumbria, developing projects and exhibitions shown at the Houses of Parliament, Southbank Centre, National Maritime Museum and Manchester Cathedral. He co-founded Zwiebelfish CIC in 2021, co-directed Refuge from the Ravens, and his wider work continues to explore the poetics of social injustice, including through The Last Wolf in England and Synapse International, the visual poetry magazine he edits.
Sophie Cooper
Sophie Cooper is a Yorkshire-based sound artist, composer and trombonist. Her practice spans composition, sound design and performance, often taking the form of long-term, community-facing projects with a focus on site-specific audio work. She frequently collaborates with visual artists and explores new presentations of acoustic instrumentation combined with electronics. Cooper’s composition Echoes of Reclamation was created for a brass quintet and performed by the Milnrow Brass Band as part of the Land and Brass exhibition in Rochdale in June 2025. She has exhibited at venues including The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, Wordsworth Grasmere Museum and Bury Art Gallery, and was nominated for an Ivor Novello Composer Award in 2020.
The Milnrow Brass Band
The Milnrow Brass Band is a traditional British-style brass band based near Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Founded in 1869, the band has over 150 years of continuous performance. In 2006, the band gained promotion to the Championship section and is now ranked in the top 100 brass bands worldwide. Recent achievements include being National Finalists in 2013 and 2017, All England International Masters Champions in 2017, and Grand Shield Champions in 2013. The band undertakes a varied concert diary and is also known for its community work, with around 30 playing members.
