Forest of Imagination

Forest of Imagination as an Aesthetic Imaginary

We are nature - our ecological and imaginative relationships with the more-than-human world are vital for our future planet. A new aesthetic imaginary, the Forest of Imagination is a living, breathing classroom, inspiring curiosity, and a deeper connection with the natural world. Forest of Imagination is an annual participatory contemporary arts and architecture event in Bath, UK. Forest of Imagination is free and open to all, with a creative learning programme delivered by a collaborative and multidisciplinary team, reimagining familiar spaces, inspiring creativity, and heightening awareness of nature in response to the ecological emergency and the Anthropocene. Forest of Imagination is a creative ecosystem for art and participation. Spaces in an urban context are reinvented to inspire spontaneous play, unleash imagination, heighten our engagement with nature in the city environment, and shine a light on the importance of local and global forests’ capacity to inspire creativity in everyone.

In times of crisis, it is the responsibility of our intergenerational communities as ecological citizens to reimagine ways of being and acting in the world for social and environmental justice. Recent climate reports suggest that we can no longer avoid some of the more disastrous effects of climate change. For us to survive as a species, we need to adapt; this will not be possible without fundamentally reimagining our systems of education. In the face of the Anthropocene and the more than human world, we must reimagine our approaches to ecological education to ensure hopeful futures alongside our young people, to reimagine the way we learn, to learn how to play together, and to co-create imaginative solutions.

This long-term research project is an example of civic engagement and innovation extending the partners’ civic role through creative, participatory public engagement, creative, cultural partnerships, and widening participation projects with schools and colleges to generate new ideas and approaches with the educational, creative, and cultural sectors. Forest of Imagination exemplifies an approach to cultural change with creative pedagogy and promotes co-creation and collaboration with a range of diverse partners including schools and cultural centres. We invite everyone to have a conversation about the importance of nature connection and collective imagination in a playful immersive environment for all ages. Together we can find creative solutions as ecological citizens for more sustainable futures.