In June I visited Juliet Robson in King Wood, Oxfordshire. We talked and wandered the woods. Juliet has a brilliant new addition to her chair which makes wandering the woods so much more possible – so we were celebrating the start of the next phase of the project and this new found freedom.
We wandered, mindful of the sounds, smells, sun, shadows and life of the woods, and thought and talked. We talked about the sun and shadow down the path, following on from our previous work tracing shadows around Juliet’s garden and studio.
We thought about the potato clocks I had been building in the workshops in London, linking growing vegetables to power clocks and machines with Harvest Festivals. We plan to plug diodes (the metals that activate the production of electricity through the fruit and vegetables) into still growing vegetables, soil, and pumpkins counting down to Belthane, Halloween.
We thought about water fuel, linking to the water clocks we had previously made, giving away dionized water to the people that come to the Future Machine meeting in the wood, for use in their home.
We talked about coming together in the woods to build a different type of clock each year, ending with eating the generator of the power.
We thought about the history of Common Lands in England, the enclosures and it’s impact on folkore, ritual, community and our connection to nature. The wonderful opportunity of living next to some of the little remaining common land in England. We talked with Juliet’s neighbour who works with the Green Gym, who volunteers to look after the common land and woods. He told us about the rare gorse, bluebells and heather returning to the common. We talked about how we could also volunteer over the year together to help out. We sat outside the Unicorn Pub, that brings the community together, that the community fought to keep going.
Sadly I lost my camera on the way home and the photo diary we took. I am awaiting my return soon.
