John Muir, the Scottish-born American naturalist, once wrote “The clearest way into the
Universe is through a forest wilderness.” Indeed, forests have been a fertile ground for artists to
explore universal concerns throughout the centuries. Woodlands can be sanctuaries and places
of rest. Equally, they may be places of discovery, or even terror. More recently, they have
become sites of exploitation. The following artworks grapple with our complicated relationship
with forests, and by extension, nature. They remind us of their importance, and how vital it is that
we preserve these sites of wilderness. For how are we to travel through the Universe without
them? Here are five pieces of art inspired by forests.
1. Albion by Mat Collishaw (2017)
Kicking off our survey of art inspired by forests: You enter a room, dark except for the projection of a ghostly, glowing tree, propped up on a series of crutches. This is Albion, British artist Mat Collishaw’s video installation that depicts the Major Oak of Sherwood Forest, in Nottinghamshire. It is a tree with a long folkloric history, and is said to be the meeting place of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. The title of the work is in itself an ancient word for Great Britain, and points to greater themes of loss and grief within the work.
Indeed, as Laura Ouillon’s article so aptly puts, “it can be argued that the English cultural
relationship to forests is profoundly marked by loss’” The ghostly spectre of the tree is a stark
reminder of the threat our wild places face. Collishaw’s use of space and lighting create an
all-encompassing atmosphere that forces us to question whether this is to be our future.
2. Nature is Ours: Forest of Cutures (developed by Jessica El Mal, 2021)
In contrast to the last entry, this artwork is entirely digital. Commissioned by Grizedale Forest
and Signal Film and Media, the English-Moroccan creative Jessica El Mal worked with eight
participants across Cumbria to produce an online artsite. As seen on the Signal Film and Media
website, “this artwork is a testament to the love and connection we all find in nature, in spite of
the structural inequalities which can make them inaccessible.” Indeed there is a focus on
empowering non-Western voices, especially in the context of ecological and climate justice
spheres.
Strolling through this digital forest is obviously not the same as strolling through a physical one,
but it left me feeling a little more hopeful and connected to the world. There are lots of activities
to engage with, and I’ve definitely added Grizedale Forest to my list of places to travel.
3. The Abbey in the Oakwood, by Caspar David Friedrich (1809-1810)
Next in our guide to art inspired by forests: this oil painting by Caspar David Friedrich (a German Romantic artist, perhaps most famous for Wanderer above the Sea of Fog), presents a funeral scene at nightfall, within a ruined abbey surrounded by oak trees. It is perhaps the most conventional entry on this list, but nonetheless impactful. Its use of colour and symbolism provide a commentary on the enduring power of nature, and the mortality of man. A sense of finality hangs in the air.
Friedrich’s painting is a stark reminder of the brevity of human lives, but perhaps also a
reminder of the vast and long history we are a part of. This world will continue to renew itself
long after death.
4. Stacked Oak by Andy Goldworthy (2007)
Andy Goldworthy is an English artist who works primarily with sculptures. Stacked Oak is one
such example – an almost Tetris-like cairn made from branches felled near Yorkshire Sculpture
Park, where the artwork is located. Like most of his work, this project is site-specific, and was
made to eventually decay. The Art Districts’ Substack Article perfectly explains this ethos,
“Goldsworthy’s art is not just about what is created—it is about what is lost.”
Eventually, Stacked Oak will fall victim to the passage of time, but until then, we can enjoy its
brief and fleeting existence. There is an inexplicable beauty to be found here.
5. Symbiosis by Thijs Biersteker and Stefano Manuco (2019)
Concluding our whistlestop tour of art inspired by forests: this real-time data installation was commissioned for the exhibition, Nous les Abres (We The Trees), which opened in July 2019 at the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain in Paris. It was placed in the garden of the museum, and was developed in collaboration between Thijs Biersteker, an ecological artist, and Stefan Mancuso, a botanist and scientist. Monitoring two trees within the garden, the installation visually realises the data, creating an ever-fluctuating artwork.
Through sensors, the installation monitors changes in the trees’ photosynthesis, air quality and
chemical air compounds, and provides a moment for visitors to reflect on their relationship with
nature and the environment. As Thijs Biersteker’s website puts it, the artwork gives ‘nature a
visual voice in times of climate change.’