Urban Forest Time I
Riverside Park, here and now
I am the beginning, the end
I carry the scars of history
crisp and damp autumn
plucked and transported
I am surrounded by friends (noisy people)
respite, break, reconnect and breathe
I feel temporary
I have been here, slowly pushing up
through the damp and the dark, always
until I found the daylight
the same sky, different feat
it is still and all around us
noise and movement
it made me think about Z’s comment
about being in a central urban space
but very little evidence of people
humans
the look of them
and their watches and phones
definitely make me feel different here
I can still hear the busy noises of the city
I can feel myself becoming more present
paying attention to detail
and feeling more adventerous
Time is a human construct
the forest remembers to keep things messy
I do
for a season parts are made
past friends, memories, ancestry, legacy and life
we agree to never talk about that again
I will remember todays visit
I will not be as scary
some of us retain at different times, seasons
some of us never return
I will still be here
growing, changing
it will be as mulch on the floor
or new buds on the trees
I am light, I am growth, I am everything
I will look to see if the log circle is still here
and the tent
it will be to view the space as what it can be
not what it is
I look for ears on the trees
Authors
A collaborative place-based story from Gateshead Riverside Park, crafted in place on Monday 27 November 2023, between 14:00 and 15:00 GMT, by Lotte Dijkstra, Helen Moir, Eleanor Nicklin, Bev Robinson, Carwyn Thomas, Stewart Turnbull, Alexander Wilson, Lucy Zwolinska and the more-than-human beings and vibrant matterings present.
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HERE, NOW
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TIME FEELS DIFFERENT HERE
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THE FOREST REMEMBERS
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WHEN WE RETURN
• HERE, NOW • TIME FEELS DIFFERENT HERE • THE FOREST REMEMBERS • WHEN WE RETURN
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.