Collaborative, More-Than-Human and place-based I

Familiar, Quiet and Loud

feels nice

feels familiar

quiet and loud

can’t move but like it here

happy being in the sun

enjoy feeling the soil

this feels familiar: fire pit, umbrella, trees, and drinks

we can hear the familiar sound of the metro

happiness, same as forest school, making stuff

    plants

it hurts when people climb us :(

when we fall from our tree we can feel the cold wind, brrr

we fly into stuff

    mutrol

now we know what is in the forest

that humans can roam anywhere

what is man-made or natural

that humans can be respectful and are fascinated by nature

how to stay safe in the forest

that humans bottle us up for research

we can come back again

they come back again

to explore more of the space

    to be friends

people look after the forest and respect it

    enjoy spending time with us

Authors

A collaborative place-based story from Gateshead Riverside Park, crafted in place on Thursday 20 June 2024, between 10:00 and 12:00 BST, by Adrian, Brandon, Bryan, Caitlyn Ormesby, Dominic, Elana, Jake, Kirsty Recchia, Lotte Dijkstra, Matt Logan, Ryan, Thea Heskett and the more-than-human beings and vibrant matterings present.

•

HERE, NOW

•

THIS FEELS FAMILIAR

•

NOW WE KNOW

•

NEXT TIME, WE HOPE

• HERE, NOW • THIS FEELS FAMILIAR • NOW WE KNOW • NEXT TIME, WE HOPE

For a moment, we allow ourselves to experience urban forest time. We investigate the more-than-human connections in and with Gateshead Riverside Park, using our bodies, personal stories, and collaborative place-based explorations. During and after each prompt, we record our responses. There are the stories we uncovered.

---