THE MATRIX OF ALL LIFE
In our first theme of this issue, we speak to fermentation revivalist Sandor Katz on ancestral techniques and fermentation as a metaphor; Yanomami artist Joseca expresses the Amazon’s shamanic spirits through drawings alongside a call to action to protect the trees; and the ongoing film series ‘Wild Arrows’, shines a light on the philosophies and cultural histories of Indigenous groups, while interrogating western world views.
REIMAGINE AND REBUILD
In our second theme, we share an edited extract of writer Ben Rawlence’s book, The Treeline: The Last Forest and the Future of Life on Earth, which dives into regeneration as a tool to reconnect to woodlands; we find out how Syrians displaced by war are farming mushrooms for sustenance and survival; A Q&A with Rob Hopkins, co-founder of Transition Network, who is using radical imagination to dream of better worlds; and Akeily Hu explores how sci-fi can be used as a vessel to address the climate breakdown.
THE MORE THAN HUMAN WORLD
In our third theme, artist David Uzochukwu questions the self, both past and present, in a series of portraits in natural settings; we learn about the practice of Langar and how Sikh communities are leading the way through their offerings of free hot meals to all people; and in an extract from Nature is a Human Right: Why We’re Fighting for Green in a Greying World, Pınar Ateş Sinopoulos-Lloyd delves into their ties to the non-human world to deepen ancestral connections.
DIALOGUES
Ulla Nolden looks at the beauty and ecological value of moss through the framing of Japanese moss gardens; Aletta Harrison finds a sense of belonging by naming the natural world in Britain and searching for value in Kents ‘weed’-filled hedgerows; Tania Roa questions how we can find adventure in the natural world without having to go far from home; Jini Reddy explores how a spiritual connection with the natural world can help heal our depleted planet; Márcio Cruz reflects on the movement and histories of palm trees and their connection to the legacy of colonisation; and Andrea Gibson shares a poem from their collection Better Be Lightning.
