Your Sonic Forest - Hear Nature Speak through Sound Installations in Alice Holt Forest
đź“· Photo by Peter Batchelor
Welcome
Welcome to Your Sonic Forest - Hear Nature Speak through Sound Installations in Alice Holt Forest. This art event is part of the Sensing the Forest project and has been a follow-up of the Sensing the Forest Summer School. The exhibition has two exhibition modes: onsite and online.
What’s onsite? You are encouraged to go and visit Dendrophone, a permanent multichannel sound installation by Peter Batchelor located in Alice Holt Forest, which will be permanent for one year.
What’s online? On this minisite, you can find the installations that were presented onsite in the opening with more contextual information on their processes and how they are evolving. We encourage you to explore all the incredible artworks!
This exhibition has been curated by Hazel Stone (Forestry England) and Peter Batchelor (De Montfort University) in cooperation with the Sensing the Forest Summer School Team and the Sensing the Forest Summer School Participants.
Enjoy!
Share your Thoughts
Either if you go onsite to experience Dendrophone or explore the online exhibition, you are welcome to participate in our short survey.
We hope that you can spare 5 minutes to tell us what you think on this online survey.
The Opening
The opening of the onsite exhibition was a free event presented on Thursday, 20th of June, 11am-3pm, 2024, at the Alice Holt Forest. There was an exhibition of 13 installations (see below). We had good weather and a good turnout of visitors. The online art event is what you can enjoy here from August 2024 until July 2025. This is a live online space where you can experience the presented artworks and see how they progress.
You can see below the in-the-wild opening, which was livestreamed!
About the Art Event on Thursday, 20th of June, 11am-3pm, 2024
Join us for a day of exploration and inspiration at Sonic Forest, a groundbreaking event that merges art, science, and nature to raise awareness of forest ecologies. Set against the picturesque backdrop of Alice Holt Forest, this immersive experience created by international artists is designed to engage families, art enthusiasts, environmentalists, and curious minds alike. Embark on a guided walk through the forest, where you will encounter a series of thought-provoking sound installations. These installations are not just art; they are a dialogue with the environment, using data collected from the forest itself to convey powerful messages about climate change, and contributing to its acoustic ecology.
Participate
Use the hashtag #yoursonicforest to share your photos with us!
Fill out our short survey to tell us what you think about Your Sonic Forest at Alice Holt Forest. Many thanks for your participation!
Leaflet
Here’s the digital version of the printed leaflet that we distributed on the 20th of June, 2024. The leaflet has been beautifully designed by Johana Knowles.
Artists
Bardia Hafizi
The Walking Tree is a multi-modal installation/performance that traces the kinship of people and trees, of cities and forests: My work investigates the technological boundaries between the two, and tries to re-imagine them through sonic - as well as other forms of- media.
Ed Chivers
The piece Tree Museum focuses on the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, whose population has declined by 91% since 1967, and is on the UK’s red list for endangered species. The sound of the woodpecker’ drumming is reproduced artificially in the trees, considering the sounds that are lost when we loose a species.
Qianyi Rose Sun
In Leaves Echo, every interaction is a testament to the balance of our ecosystem. It challenges us to perceive the unseen, to hear the unspoken, and to understand the delicate interplay between our actions and the natural world.
Gabrielle Cerberville
tread(LIGHTLY) is an installation that takes the form of a labyrinth built into the forest floor, triggered by human activities. The phrase “tread lightly” refers to being cautious, taking care, thinking before acting, and the labyrinth is designed to make us aware of how we move through natural environments by sonifying and amplifying human movements.
Austin Blanton
Resonant Grove is a tree with a tangle of wires and copper is spouting noises from its trunk, inviting you to explore the mystery. As you move your hand closer, the sounds mutate, and activate invisible threads to other noisemakers in the forest.
Miles Scharff
A tree listens to itself is a system in which a tree and the space around it are used as antenna for radio reception in an effort to listen to what electromagnetic signals are physically permeating through the natural world. The received signals are heard through speakers placed about the roots of the tree.
Kate Anderson
Remembering the Mighty Oak is a sculptural reliquary to great oak trees. Constructed with oak and decorated with ink illustrations. Echoing the loss of the Elm in the 1970s, and the decline of the Ash this century, it invites the audience to consider a future where the Nation’s Oaks are no more.
Jordan Juras
Sound Gardening is a conceptual framework to create immersive and interactive AR audio installations. This project explores the creation of embodied musical instruments, which animate and position trees and other Floral entities and are modulated by environmental sensor data collected by Alice Holt Forest Research Station.
Rosa Sungjoo Park
Within and Between is an interactive sound installation that explores the interconnectedness of humans and the environment. The audience is invited to intervene in their natural surroundings by interacting with the installation through their own playful gestures.
Beccy Abraham
in touch uses a collaborative musical instrument to build soundscapes with forest recordings as source material. It encourages visitors to connect with their environment by connecting with each other.
Featured Sound Installation: Dendrophone by Peter Batchelor (De Montfort University)
Dendrophone is a sound installation that transforms environmental data from the forest into an auditory experience. By converting often hidden processes into sound, the installation aims to makes complex ecological interactions tangible. It also invites listeners to tune into the forest’s acoustic ecology, by complementing the natural soundscape. Dendrophone aims to deepen the connection between people and nature, encouraging them to listen beyond the installation and embrace the rich symphony of the forest that is always present yet often overlooked.
Streamer: Luigi Marino (Queen Mary University of London)
Two listening stations are installed at the Alice Holt Forest: one near the permanent installation by Pete Bachelor, whose sounds are affected by the environmental data (Streamer II, Paula), and the second in a small meadow near a gorgeous chestnut tree (Streamer I, Giorgio). The devices are simple internet radio transmitters that can be enjoyed by anyone with an internet connection. You can check the two live streamers on this map.
- Streamer I (Giorgio): http://solid41.streamupsolutions.com:8010
- Streamer II (Paula): http://solid67.streamupsolutions.com:8063
Note: This is currently in testing mode. Hence, the streamer might not be operational. Please be patient. It will soon be fully working 24/7/365!
Data logger: Mike Bell (Forest Research) / Catrina James (Forest Research)
Data loggers help us to understand the carbon balance of the forest using environmental data. Here, we are measuring air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, photosynthetically active radiation, net radiation and carbon dioxide concentration. The solar-powered system sends data via a cellular modem to an online server that the artists can access.
Curators
Curated by Hazel Stone (Forestry England) and Peter Batchelor (De Montfort University) in cooperation with the Sensing the Forest Summer School Team and the Sensing the Forest Summer School Participants
Production
Peter Batchelor (De Montfort University), Mike Bell (Forest Research), Max Gravestock (Forestry England), Danielle Grimsey (Forestry England), Johana Knowles (Forestry England), Luigi Marino (Queen Mary University of London), Hazel Stone (Forestry England), Nick Wardlaw (Forestry England), Anna XambĂł (Queen Mary University of London)
Marketing & Promotion (Forestry England)
Melanie Keddie (Forestry England), Susan Smith (Forestry England), Johana Knowles (Forestry England)
AV Documentation
Shuoyang Zheng (Queen Mary University of London)
Photo Album
You can find a photo album of the event on the Sensing the Forest’s Flickr account.
Registration
🔥 You can find more info and register for the free event on the following Eventbrite link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/your-sonic-forest-tickets-908706935907 🔥
🔥 Subscribe to our announce mailing list 🔥
Accessibility statement
The route follows the 0.6-mile Willows Green trail. The route will be clearly marked with the artists on site to discuss their work. When you arrive at the Visitors centre please ask for directions. The trail is surfaced with some short inclines. There are no seating facilities along the route, toilet and cafe facilities are available at the start of the trail. Please wear appropriate outdoor footwear and clothing for all weathers.
Inclusivity statement
Your Sonic Forest aims to be inclusive to all, ensuring a welcoming, safe, and respectful environment for each and every person to enjoy; everyone is welcome. This is a family-friendly and environmentally-friendly event. If the weather allows, there will be a trolley of ice cream from out the front of the cafe, near the entrance of the exhibition.
How to get there
- Sat Nav Postcode: GU10 4LS, Bucks Horn Oak, Farnham
- By Car: Take the A325 from Farnham to Bucks Horn Oak and follow signs to Alice Holt.
- Car Free Options
- –– Londoners! You are welcome to take the train at London Waterloo to Bentley (Hampshire) and experience the nice first 2-mile path of The Shipwrights Way from the Bentley Rail Station to the Alice Holt Forest. The walk should take less than 40 minutes!
- By Public Transport: We welcome car-free visitors and offer free admission to those arriving by public transport or bike – plan your journey at Good Journey. Take the number 18 bus (between Aldershot and Haslemere) and get off at the stop after the petrol station in Bucks Horn Oak.
- OS Grid Ref: SU 813 417
- You can find more info at the Alice Holt Forest website
Alice Holt Café
The Alice Holt Café is open daily from 8:30am, serving a wide range of tasty hot and cold locally sourced food (including superb daily specials), delicious cakes and freshly baked pastries, as well as a range of hot and cold Fairtrade drinks. The Café also caters for Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegetarians and Vegans!
What to wear
You can find a complete guide on what to wear hiking UK that explains the essentials!
Help us spread the word!
Help us spread the word about this event! Feel free to use this brilliant poster designed by Johana Knowles.