Thanks to receiving funding from Arts Council England, we have commissioned two creative practitioners Steve Geliot and Elle Ireland, to engage the Forest of Dean community in conversations about the idea of the area becoming a Biosphere Reserve.
The first film – Slow Harmony – is a brief short, to whet your appetite for more. It invites you to slow down a bit, find harmony with nature. The Forest of Dean is such a beautiful place to live and work, yet we so easily get into the habit of not noticing how special it is. It is the first of several One Minute Moments that hint at what is to come in the full film: The Forest We Want. All films will be released over the coming days.
The films offer an insight to the beauty and industrial history of the area, what makes it unique and why it would be an excellent idea to protect the natural resources here. The Declaration of Mother Earth is a manifesto, a logic for caring for this planet.
Steve and Elle both had conversations with key people who are already invested in caring for the forest. The discussions raise questions for you, the viewer. Do you think becoming a Biosphere Reserve could be a good thing for the area?
That question, and more, are in our survey, and we want to hear from you.
We look forward to getting your responses.
Carolyn Black, The Forest We Want - Arts Curator