Wild Drawing Residency

A short film on my Cultural Reforesting residency at Orleans House Gallery:

In 2021 I spent two months developing my practice of wild drawing as part of Cultural Reforesting, a long-term artist-led research programme based at Orleans House Gallery, which asks the question; how can we renew our relationship with nature?

My research experimented with ways that mark-making can help us to feel a greater resonance with our surroundings, paying particular attention to balancing physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual engagement with the landscape. It also involved walking and talking with ecologists and other practitioners who work with the land, observing the woods through their eyes to glimpse a fraction of the myriad overlapping perceptions of landscape. This short film captures a flavour of some of the workshops and conversations that made my residency.

Many thanks to Ellie Mackay for the videography and to all of the participants and specialists who joined me in wild drawing throughout the woodland, sharing their thoughts and observations here. I wanted to particularly thank Mishal Baig, Spiritual Ecologist at Spiritual Ecologist at St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, Dr Tilly Collins, Urban Ecologist in the Centre for Environmental Policy at Grantham Institute - Climate Change and the Environment Andy Franzkowiak, Creative Director of Shrinking Space and Arts Programmer at Richmond Council, Sian Jones, Eco-therapist and co-founder of Wild Gathering CIC, Ellie Mackay, Environmental Filmmaker and Frankie Woodgate, Environmental Forester and founder & director of Weald Woodscapes for joining part of my cultural reforesting residency and their generosity in sharing their rich experiences and knowledge about living, loving and working with the land.

The project was supported by Richmond Arts Service.