Public Submissions
CHOPWELL WOOD
GATESHEAD, ENGLAND
RHEIN-NECKAR REGION
GERMANY
FOLKEPARKEN
HARSTAD, NORWAY
Be our eyes and ears, fingers and noses.
Mia & Eric are inviting locals to collect information about the history, culture, ecology, and use of the woods. We want to learn facts and anecdotes; popular histories and little known or underrepresented knowledges; the physical geography of the woods and the woods that are imagined through story, marketing materials, and everyday use. We also want to understand the various animal, plant, insect, and fungus species that make up the ecology of the woods and the interrelated relationships that these species have to each other and humans.
Instructions
1
Visit the woods
2
Find a spot to sit for a short period
(15 minutes)
3
Observe and sense your surroundings
(listen, smell, feel, look)
4
Record your experience
a piece of writing (a list, a poem, a personal reflection or a description)
an image (a hand drawn map of the location, a photograph, a drawing or painting of a particular plant, animal or vista)
a video (a still shot showing the movement within the spot, a 360 degree tour of the spot)
a found object
an audio recording (field recording of the ambient sounds in the spot, a voice message or song)
(Side note: please take care of yourselves in the woods. We aren’t there with you to ensure you are safe, so you are there at your own risk. Don’t be litigious. We are nice people. Follow Covid-19 protocols.)
Example Submissions
Seedpod with twig
Hi, I found this seedpod while out in the forest this afternoon. I wanted to share it with you. I think it is really beautiful.
Submitted by Rika
Beavers were here!
Found this tree that was chewed by beavers. Wasn’t like this two days ago. They have worked quickly! Don’t see a dam or lodge, but I will keep looking.
Submitted by Brian
Map of walk
Hallo. I take this walk once a week in Folkeparken. It is beautiful.
Submitted by Kristin
A poem
I sat by this creek for a while this afternoon. The sound of the running waters made me really think about all of the times I have spent in these woods. I wrote a poem.
I am there
Where wayward
Sunbeams creep,
Across a shady glade,
Where warm breezes gently stir,
Aspen leaves into a flutter.
I am there, where clear cool
Sparkling water in eddies dance,
Reflecting rainbows on
Golden sands;
In that little creek, I am there
As it forever rippling flows.
Submitted by Laura
Like’n this Lichen
I found a piece of lichen hanging from a tree on my walk today. I brought it home and drew it using ink. Not sure what species it is. It was greenish in colour.
Submitted by Mia
Signs of people
I walk past this all of the time. Today I decided to sit on this swing made from a fallen branch and nylon rope. So many birds around - singing. I kept thinking about the how important dead trees are for woodpeckers.
Submitted by Hedi
Magical Tree
This is a stump that has been converted into a cupboard. It seems to store a rock painted red. Who made this?
Submitted by Eric
Wind and Tree
I wanted to share the way this tree blows around in the wind. It looks short in this video but it must be at least 40 metres tall. I sat and watched it for a long time. Very meditative.
Submitted by Alf
Do you have specialized knowledge about the woods?
We want to talk to people who know something unique about the woods. Maybe you are a birdwatcher, journalist, researcher, biologist, or a recreational user. Maybe you are an activist trying to save the woods or you maybe you are someone who works for an industry that relies on the woods for minerals, trees, or to attract tourists. Have you been photographing, painting, or documenting the woods in anyway? Are you an archivist, journalist, or politician? Have you been taking walks in the woods for the last 30 years and hold specific knowledge about the place? Then we want to talk to you.