During week 9, I felt the need to adopt a slight change of direction within my work. I felt there needed to be a deeper, profound quality to my work, which I felt didn’t already exist. I began to mind map a few ideas, aided by my key themes and research. This prompted me to explore the ideas around slow living in a new light. For example, slow living through the ideas around craft, artisan and food, which made me consider words such as organic, sustainability and food chains. I also wanted to explore my theme of calm further so I came up with the idea of exploring the chaos in nature. You can view my thoughts and ideas in more depth on the mind maps, which are shown in the images below.
Alongside this, I also wanted to explore the idea of experiencing calm further during this week. I made an conscious effect to go on a walk everyday in different settings. I took pictures along the way and focused on my surroundings through a sensory approach to allow myself to experience and holistic calm experience. The photographs can be seen below.
A key area which I focused on this week was trees. I wanted to explore the idea of calm and chaos through the topic of trees. I went on several walks in forests where I took photographs and sound recordings to document the calm. I began to research trees and their calming affects on individuals. Although many may laugh at the idea of tree hugging, there has been evidence to prove that being amongst trees can have a positive effect on our mental health. Furthermore, I also came across the ideas around trees connecting with each other, almost adopting humanistic qualities, aided by the book The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben. Lastly, I began to think about the chaos eg deforestation, the work of Polly Higgins (eradicating ecoside.)
