Here and Now
riverside park, here and now
[we are] the beginning, the end
[we] carry the scars of history
crisp and damp autumn
plucked and transported
[we’re] surrounded by friends
noisy people
respite, break
reconnect and breathe
[we] feel temporary
[we] have been here
slowly pushing up
through the damp and the dark
always until [we] found the daylight
the same sky
different feet
it is still when all around us
is noise + movement
it made [us] think about [x’s] comment
about being in a central urban space
but very little evidence of people
humans
the look of them
+ their watches & phones
definitely makes time feel different here
[we] can still hear the busy noises of the city
[we] can feel [ourselves]
becoming more present
paying attention to detail
& feeling more adventurous
time is a human construct
the forest remembers
to keep things messy
[we] do
for a season paths are made
past friends and memories
ancestry
legacy
and life
we agreed to never talk about that ever again
[we] will remember todays visit
[we] will not be as scary
some of us return each year
at different seasons
some of us never return
[we] will still be here
growing, changing
it will be as mulch on the floor
or new buds on the trees
[we are] light
[we are] growth
[we are] everything
[we] will look to see
if the log circle is still here
… + the tent
it will be to view the space
as what it can be
not what it is
[we’ll] look for ears on the trees
Authors
A collaborative place-based story from Gateshead Riverside Park, transcribed here as crafted and captured 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
•
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 allowed ourselves to experience urban forest time. We investigated 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. This is the urban forest story we uncovered.