Among the Trees at the Hayward Gallery was one of the most inspirational exhibitions that I have had the pleasure to work on. Its meditative appeal was certainly enhanced by opening to the backdrop of a global pandemic, but with or without the world in crisis, in my view, its success came from an ability to not only transport visitors into world of trees and forests, but celebrate their resilience, and their indispensable impact on ours.
From day one, I was totally struck with Jimmie Durham’s, It Should Work (2012), a curious assemblage made from a deceased olive tree and an obsolete piece of machinery, driven by a desire to give an identity and voice to the discarded.
This idea of ‘speaking for the trees’, for me, was reminiscent of popular children’s fabel The Lorax, prompting me to create a participatory response by asking more than 30 of our youngest visitors to suggest what this peculiar mouth-shaped tree would say if it could speak.
Transcribing their responses verbatim, I arranged a collaborative piece of prose, which forms a moving and entertaining stream of consciousness, unique to this piece and this incredible exhibition.
Inviting young visitors to write “speech bubbles” or offer their own words to this curious work of art, was a great way to get them to engage differently. Moving beyond trying to fathom its functionality (the pedal), children could instead explore how it might fit into the world of trees, being so different from all of its neighbours, and empathise with its experience past and present.
From an Early Years perspective this was a great conversation starter about emotions, but as well as obvious links to Design & Technology in considering how found materials can take on a new purpose, this kind of activity effortlessly brings English together with Geography, to explore human impact on the environment, and can even be taken into the field. Literally!
Seeking further extensions for English? Start by listening to this poetry response to the exhibition by writer and poet Holly Corfield Carr. A beautiful love letter to trees and nature.
Arts Aloud 