Wednesday 3 June 2009

The Growth of the Soil


























For those of you familiar with Hamsun you will recognize the title. This was a workshop for children catching the spirit of nature through inspiration from the famous writer and poet Knut Hamsun who was brought up around here. His work was hugely inspired (from latin inspirare - to breathe) by the spirit of nature. I wanted to sensitize the children and wake them up to the wonders of their close neighborhood - to smell the moss, taste the bark, have eye-contact with the worms and drink the air! I wanted them to find a special place in the woods and SENSE the place and give it a gift that they thought the place needed. We worked with magnifying glasses, microscopes, ink and twigs and tissuepaper. We borrowed Hamsuns own words and collaged them into new and unexpected meanings, and made pallets covered with natures own delightful colours. On the last of 3 days we made a soup with the growth of the soil - wild delights like nettles and groundelder, and invited parents and friends for a feast!