A Heightened Sense of Tree

This R&D has been a long time in the planning even prior to Covid. It’s been in discussion with the National Trust for over 2 years and in conversation between it’s main collaborators since Lindsey returned from working with Julia Taffe (Artistic Director of Aeriosa) in Vancouver 2015.

After our initial partners, the National Trust were furloughed we thought that spelled the end for any opportunity for research this year but Wild Rumpus stepped in to save the day – hurrah.

Our basic concept aims to sensorially ‘describe’ the forest in movement, sound and light, transporting audiences up into the canopy and into Forest-time.’

Offering a sensorially rich stage, infused with associations, vertical surfaces, rigging points, peri-phonic soundscapes, acoustic nuances and layers of depth: the forest is a world away from the urban or cultural spaces we usually work in where outdoor vertical dance is usually confined to large scale spectacle accompanied by a soundtrack of broad-brush-strokes.

Witnessing the profound effect that spending time amongst trees and natural woodland has upon us, we wanted to explore collaborating within and about this unique context and its potential to offer a new dimension to our work; one that allows a more nuanced and immersive form of engagement. One where the notion of ‘access’ can be expanded to underpin and inspire the experience for all; inviting people to listen, absorb and surrender to ‘a heightened sense of tree’.

All photos Mark Morreau, with huge thanks to Arts Council England for emergency funding that allowed this to go ahead.