Colloquium explores the forest through research and art

Image Monica Börlin

Where forest science and art meet

The event was titled "Colloquium on Research Representations of Forests"​ and was a collaboration between UmArts and Bildmuseet. The day-long event was conceived as a way for the group members of UmArts' Geopolitics of the Forest Working Group and their invited guests to present their respective research work in the broader context of the museum’s current exhibition​ “Eight degrees / Contemporary Art on the Forest” exhibition. The colloquium's common thread was the group's love for the forest while looking for different ways of representing research about visual, economic, ecological, and cultural issues that occur when people and industry have contrasting views on who and what the forest is for.

Researchers Jundan Jasmine Zhang och Eva la Cour.

Image Monica Börlin

The day began with a guided walk through the exhibition “Eight degrees / Contemporary Art on the Forest”, an exhibition that focuses on the complex relationship between humans and the forest. It was followed with welcoming remarks by UmArts Director Ele Carpenter, and an introductory talk by Luis Berrios Negrón who curated and co-moderated the colloquium as UmArts Research Fellow and Chair of the Group. The introduction was followed by four sessions, starting with a lecture performance by Danish artist Eva la Cour titled “Svalbard”. As featured guest, her performance was followed by an open conversation with nature interpreter Jundan Jasmine Zhang. The day continued with two more sessions, each titled “Forests and Urbanity” and “Sensing forests” both consisting of panel sessions discussing forest-related issues from different technical perspectives, ending with “Performing forests” which offered lectures and performances, ending with an intervention by Malin Arnell.

Future Forests was represented

At the colloquium, Future Forests was represented by Associate professor Janina Priebe, and Research fellow Irma Olofsson, both from Umeå University. Priebe moderated two of the panel sessions, and Olofsson was one of the panellists in the session “Sensing Forests”.

The "Colloquium on Research Representations of Forests" was organised by UmArts and Bildmuseet, alongside the exhibition “Eight degrees / Contemporary Art on the Forest”.