Tree-Feeling Walk and Online Meeting
What do we feel about urban trees? A psychogeographic survey.
By Tamsin Grainger
Trees – we love them! We co-habit with them, we are co-dependent on them, and we rely on each other, so it makes sense to gather information about how we feel about them, it’s a way of understanding this close relationship.
This event is in two parts: a walk and then an online meet-up
There is an audio guide to download which asks: How do I feel about this tree? How am I when we are together? and, How does the tree encourage me to behave? It talks you through a body scan so you can identify how you are before the walk; it suggests ways you can notice, enquire, and focus on certain sensations and activities around and beside the tree you have chosen; you will be prompted to record your findings with words, images, and measurements using your own body or comparisons with buildings and other objects nearby; and finally, it takes you through another body scan to see if anything has changed in you by being with the tree.
If you fancy sharing what you found with others, adding your tree-feelings to the group findings, the online meet-up is on Saturday 22nd May at 10.30am.
You can download and use this walk whatever your age, and can do it alone or in a group. No prior knowledge of trees is necessary. If you are isolating or cannot leave your home, you can participate in your imagination (perhaps looking at a photo), on wheels, or by proxy (finding someone to walk for you, directing and keeping in contact with them as they are by your tree of choice and feeling how it affects you through them).
We will acknowledge that we are part of a tree’s ecosystem and ask: What does the tree offer us? What do we offer it? We will have a conversation about this and refer to our feelings and sensations in doing so.
We will start with ‘Standing Like a Tree’ - a very simple chi gung exercise (2 minutes) to root ourselves - and a few moments of sitting quietly to recall our tree-time, then we will have a conversation, and the plan is to draw some conclusions about the value of feelings when it comes to our respect and protection of trees, something to add to the better-known ways of relating to them - counting, describing, naming and classifying.
Date: May 22
Time: 10.30-11.30am
Please keep all the artwork, videos, information and so on that came out of your walk, handy or uppermost in your mind so that when we meet online, you can share what you felt and found. We will be talking about what tree or trees you visited and sharing descriptions and images of them, and we will focus specifically on how you felt when you were with it/them.
Here is a pdf with ways to record
#FeelingTrees #urbantreefestival
Please note that if you share photos, images and/or words via social media, I will collect and share some of them for the online meeting. I will ask you first to give me your permission to do so.
Thanks to Ewan Davidson, the Urban Tree Festival and the 2020 contributors and presenters who inspired me, and to i-tree-eco-edinburgh.
Go on, get up close and cosy with an urban tree!