biome: forrest

Forrest is a unique partnership between multiple species, an opportunity for collaboration, and an invitation for you to be part of something special.  

Part of biome: experiments in radical kinship, a year-long residency programme in the Artsadmin Canteen from artist, writer, and human ecologist Zoë Laureen Palmer. 

This tiny urban biome within the Artsadmin Canteen provides a sanctuary for rest and regeneration and acts as an experiment in how we might give and receive mutual care with the more than human living world. forrest is populated by a diverse range of plants, mosses, micro-organisms and seeds and welcomes you to find peace and tranquillity within its embrace, guided by a soundtrack from artist Keir vine.

forrest invites us to explore our entanglement with mosses and plants, whose ancestors have inhabited the earth for over 145 million years. The ancient cyanobacteria Spriulina rests within forrest whilst its nutrients are cycled back into its ever-evolving eco system of over 40 known plant and moss species, 60 individual plants and thousands of unknowns.

Seeds and ancient bacteria rest within the forrest, as their nutrients are cycled back into its ever-evolving ecosystem. Visitors to forrest can contribute to its diverse ecosystem through misting or offering houseplants that are unwanted or in need of regeneration. 

With the exception of lilies and orchids salvaged from the discounted dying houseplant racks in a major retail space, the plants, mosses and algae in the forrest have all been been gifted, pruned or propagated by Zoë to highlight the way in which plants continue to lie at the heart of the unsustainable movement and commodification of living species across the globe. 

In times of ecosystem collapse and unprecedented biodiversity loss, forrest asks what more will it take for us to afford rest and regeneration to the dying living world of which we are all a part.

Forrest visions is a sonic meditation exploring the entanglement of grief, loss, enchantment and transformation in relationship with our living, dying world. Visitors to forrest are encouraged to experience this piece whilst resting within the space.

Collaborate with us:

• Come on in – join us for an immersive forrest experience
• Offer mist to our plants and mosses
• Contribute to the forrest’s ever evolving biome by gifting your unwanted houseplants. Please leave these at the entrance to the canteen