ID: a screenshot of Sounds of the Forest
Episode 1 features festivals and nature-lover Sarah Bird. Sarah co-directs Timber Festival, a 3-day music, art and ideas festival that explores forests' transformative impact.
When the pandemic cancelled mass gatherings, her team came up with an original plan. Instead of trying to recreate their festival online, they developed Sounds of the Forest - a crowdsourced map of forest sounds from around the world. They've had hundreds of of entries from Alaska to Argentina. It's inspired conversations between scientists and artists. I learned how they made it happen. We discussed nature's significance during lockdown and the importance of staying positive.
Here's a transcript and some resources to help you learn more about our conversation and related issues.
Transcript and definitions
5 things Sarah's been thinking about during lockdown:
1. Equilibrium - I’ve been thinking about how finely balanced our cultural ecology is and how interdependent artists, organisations, audiences, funders and the wider supply chain are. Which mirrors the fine balance that the natural world works within. This article from the IUCN (international union for the conservation) talks more about that and the kind of economy we might need for a fair and just society
2. Responsibility - I’ve been thinking a lot about the responsibility of the arts and cultural sector to reimagine what it means to live a positive, healthy, fulfilled and enriched life within our planetary boundaries. It feels like the arts have a really pivotal role in helping people to have visceral, emotional connections to the world around them and that there’s a clear distinction between knowing something and feeling it. And it’s this feeling that can help people see how they could live differently and be inspired by positive futures which will hopefully feel so much more possible and achievable.
3. Nature Connection - it’s so front and centre at the moment and something I’m determined to hang on to as we come out of the covid 19 restrictions, by embedding time spent in nature into my life on a daily basis I feel so much more connected to and aware of the fundamentals of life, it absolutely puts my priorities into perspective, especially at a time when the online world feels like it’s constantly competing for my attention.
4. Play - during lockdown I’ve definitely found more time to play, and so I’m keen to continue integrating play into my life and work. This disruptive, sometimes chaotic and celebratory approach is something our festivals try and instil and without the festivals this summer I’ve been aware that I need to make more of a conscious effort to create space for play.
5. Change - I think I’ve learnt a lot this year about the ways in which we can create change, I’ve been thinking about my sphere of influence and how I can work in collaboration with others who have a shared vision of what the future might look like and how I can create space for other perspectives too.
Feeling curious?
Check out the soundmap, Timber Festival, Wild Rumpus, the National Forest
Economic alternatives
Sustainability
Refer to Julie’s Bicycle - a great resource for practical information and ideas around climate justice and environmental sustainability
Positive thinking
Stay inspired - Sarah's favourite podcast for thinking about different ways we can live and work is Cheerful Podcast