Maia Magoga is a visual artist, cook and food grower from London, UK. With a Brazilian and Argentinian heritage, Maia has become fascinated by food’s potential to nurture a sense of belonging and initiate conversations around ecology and ancestral knowledge. Her practice focuses on the relationship between human and nonhuman nature and the intangible flows of exchange between human and environment, body and land. We talked with Maia about the lessons she learned in nature, the rituals she practice to keep her grounded and how food can help us to think and act more collectively.

Describe the nature around you.

I'm very blessed that my bedroom window looks out onto quite a wild garden that backs onto a small park. So there's lots of evergreen trees that greet me every morning, it's the best view from bed I've ever had.

What lessons have you learned from nature?

The fractal patterns that echo throughout nature constantly remind me of the inherent intelligence in all breathing matter. And to be slow but persistent.

You co-founded Gobyfish Collective that hosts anti-capitalist experimental dinners and installations. How can food help us think and act more collectively?

The very nature of food is communal - from the growing to the eating- so the space it opens up for collectivity is primary. Sharing food also creates a space of nourishment and care, principles that I believe are core to any healthy collective action.

How does nature guide your practice?

Endlessly...it is an infinite well of inspiration.

Which song, book or poem nurtured your relationship with nature?

'Together' by Mathew Halsall is one of the most transcendental tracks I've listened to, it makes me feel really connected to something larger than myself.

Name a TV series, film, podcast or documentary that blew your mind.

One of my favourite films is 'Embrace of the Serpent' by Colombian director Ciro Guerra. It's set in the Colombian Amazon and is about a man who has never dreamt before, and so is guided by a shaman to look for a dream-inducing plant. Also- Rowan White 'Re-Seeding The Food System' on the Emergence Magazine podcast is a conversation I come back to often.

Name a place where you feel most at ease.

There's a reservoir near my house that sits at a really high point and so you can pretty much see a 360 degree view of London. It's a vast open field often with an abundance of wild flowers in summer - it's so magical, certainly a place for peaceful introspection and some distanced perspective for when London feels too much.

Name a sound in nature you love the most.

The sound of running water.

Which rituals do you practice to keep you grounded?

Meditation, swimming, cooking, and wandering aimlessly.

What initiative have you heard of recently and you’d like everyone to support?

The Land Workers Alliance- a union of UK based land-workers campaigning for food sovereignty and justice.

Could you suggest someone else or other organisations you admire that we could approach for #TheNatureKind?

Climate in Colour - an organisation founded by Joycelyn Longdon. Their aim is to intersect dialogues on climate science and social justice, and to make these conversations more accessible and diverse.