Space, Place and Imagination: Trees

Without trees, we would not be here, breathing, thinking, living our lives. How is this so? What are trees? Why are they here? How do they live, evolve, change, travel, grow? What memories do bristlecone pines that have lived for five thousand years (longer than the existence of written language) carry inside them? What kinds of relationships do we have with trees? How do we use them, climb them, graft them, tell stories about them, learn from them, revere them? In this course, we will explore trees from as many perspectives as possible. At the heart of our work will be the guidance of three books: Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer; The Tree, by John Fowles; and How I Became a Tree, by Sumana Roy. Kimmerer will take us on a journey from Indigenous ways of knowing and biological science through to personal stories, cultural history, and the power of trees. Fowles will take us deep into the personal and philosophical roots of how humans connect to nature, and how they change and grow with, around, and in relation to trees. Roy will take us into tree wisdom and the diverse lessons writers, painters, photographers, scientists, and spiritual figures have learned in their interactions with trees. We will branch out into our own personal explorations of specific trees in our lives, writing about them, making art, telling our stories through a variety of expressive mediums. We will read poems, stories, personal accounts, guidebooks, histories. And each of us will have the opportunity to create a final project related to trees, using any mediums or approaches we choose, including film, art, dance, scientific study, writing, music, personal history, and photography. Please join us for this adventure into the space, place and imagination of trees.