‘The Wishing Forest’ ecology and art project to launch at Void Art Centre in Derry

The Wishing Forest is a long-term socio-ecological art project which aims to instigate a collective rethinking of how local institutions can collaborate on life-nurturing commitments that benefit more-than-human communities.

Designed by the artist and ecologist who works between Paris, London, and Dakar it was created with Boris Raux, Maud Louise-Marie, George McLaughlin and the Prehen Wood group, Rachel Duffy and the Playtrail, Roy and Kathryn Nelson at Killymuck, Philip Allen and Ruth McCartney, among others.

Titled after a poem by Seamus Heaney, The Wishing Forest seeks to repurpose modern institutional tools, such as the tradition of artwork acquisitions by public art collections, in order to restore biodiverse woodlands.

The project thinks through ways in which forestry can be redefined as an artistic process in its own right. The Wishing Forest, in its long-term nature, has comprised a period of research with local researchers, ecologists and activists.

Participants learnt about small woodlands being grown in the north of Ireland, and the multiple ways in which the public are invited into these sites which shelter biodiverse habitats whilst being spaces used for creative, educational and well-being purposes.

This iteration of The Wishing Forest at Void operates as a public launch of the project, acting as a gathering space for actors, a poetic and speculative reflection and a platform for sharing knowledge, process and research, highlighting the many hands involved in this work.

The launch takes place on Saturday, April 26, from 6pm to 8pm.