Urban Forest Stories from Washington D.C.

17 Oct

Written By Workshop Participants

THE URBAN FOREST OF WASHINGTON D.C.

Participants working on stories while seated on turf, with a large tree in autumn colours and a classical building out of white stone masonry in the background. The sky is cloudy.

Here, now, this place feels restored

transformed

exposed

the best place for such a great convergence

buzzy + busy

so much is familiar here

with trees bringing in the forest

home is where we make it

colors of Nature

the elms especially

apple rectangle

turf mud

Participants seated on turf and leaning against a large tree in autumn colours

even the unfamiliar can become familiar

whether you want it to or not

it is important to welcome newness

with time, repetition,

and noticing, noticing, noticing

what we see as familiar, what I see,

is less familiar than I thought

a river

we agree to be

to share our stories and listen

to create art ♥

to reflect upon our surroundings

to support a common grounding.

Authors

A collaborative place-based story from Washington D.C., crafted in place during the 2nd World Forum on Urban Forests in Van Buuren Park, on the corner of 9th Street NW and K Street NW, Washington D.C., United States of America, on Tuesday 17 October 2023, between 13:30 and 15:00 EDT, by Lindsay Campbell, Tyrah Cobb-Davis, Lotte Dijkstra, Zoe Gensheimer, Marcus Gurley, Marc Healy, Erica Holm, Cate Hughes, Kajall Hylton, Jake McDonald, David Maddox, Teddy Martello, Amelia Needoba, Lorien Nesbitt, Elizabeth Riedman, Jehane Samaha, Julia Senra, Daniel Smith, Jason Sprouls, Marisa Wilson, Anonymous Z. and the more-than-human beings and vibrant matterings present.

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HERE, NOW, THIS PLACE FEELS...

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SO MUCH IS FAMILIAR HERE

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EVEN THE UNFAMILIAR CAN BECOME FAMILIAR

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TO CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER AND THIS PLACE, WE...

| HERE, NOW, THIS PLACE FEELS... | SO MUCH IS FAMILIAR HERE | EVEN THE UNFAMILIAR CAN BECOME FAMILIAR | TO CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER AND THIS PLACE, WE...

As we explore the urban forest of Washington D.C., we use our bodies and personal stories to notice who and what is here. We examine how we are connected to this place, through a series of prompts. During and after each exercise, we record our responses. These are the stories we uncovered.

Exploration

Workshop Participants