We have plans for Imagining Woodlands throughout 2018, starting in January with a Study Day to take place in York. Dr Freya Sierhuis, Lecturer in English and Related Literature , Dr Lynda Dunlop, Lecturer in Education, environmental archaeologist Dr Suzi Richer and artist Jo Dacombe will meet to discuss ecocritical criticism, art and pedagogy, focusing in particular (but certainly not exclusively) on the idea of place, the relationship between walking and thinking. We will share some of the outcomes of that day on this blog.
Following that, Freya, Jo and Suzi have developed a teaching module for Imagining Woodlands, which will be delivered for students at the University of York in May. Collaborating with other experts, we will explore woodlands from various viewpoints and disciplines, and challenge the students to make their own creative responses to a day walking in the woods.
Also, Suzi and Jo are working with Dr Benjamin Gearey, an environmental archaeologist from University College Cork, to develop a special session at the EPPC conference in Dublin in August. Artists, academics, archaeologists, scientists and anybody else interested are invited to submit a paper or other presentation on the connection between the scientific practice of palaeoecology and that of the visual and other creative arts. Click here to read more about our special session no. 29: Palaeoecology Through the Lens of Arts and Science.
Finally, Suzi and Jo will be collaborating on a project called The 72 Seasons, to identify micro-seasons in a woodland in Leicester through scientific and artistic observations. This project will start early in the year and run throughout the 12 months. Regular updates will be posted on this blog.
So here's to new adventures in 2018, when we will launch The 72 Seasons project and let you know how you can get involved!
We leave you with a short, beautiful film by AP Film of woodlands in the snow at this link: Snow in the Woods.
Thanks for following.
Photos in this post by Andrew Postlethwaite.
