Dear Wood

Dear Wood was Thinking Forest’s third event at Landgoed Welna. The afternoon included a Chaos Weaving workshop led by Dr. Gina Maffey, where participants were guided to create their own woven willow work. After the workshop, we walked further into the forest, where Gerbrand Burger presented the live singing performance Dear Wood, alongside performers Manizja Kouhestani, Divakar Nambiath, and Annelinde Bruijs. The performers wore creations from the LOADS Collection, in collaboration with Claudy Jongstra.

On November 10th, 2024, Thinking Forest organized a special program that surrounded a new performative work by Gerbrand Burger. The afternoon started with plant-based snacks, once again provided by Marieke and Giel from D.O.N.S. Catering / De Groene Ketel. Participants were then invited to join a chaos weaving workshop, led by Dr. Gina Maffey. Gina’s workshops are research-based but also provide creative space for participants to draw their own conclusions. The chaos weaving workshop focused on the participants’ own engagement with the material, bending the willow branches into semi-structured shapes to their liking. The workshop was accompanied by reading short sections of text that deepened this engagement and provided it with additional context.

After the workshop, we walked towards Gerbrand Burger’s sculpture On A Trajectory Through A Maze Of Trajectories. On the heath located right behind it, Manizja Kouhestani, Divakar Nambiath, Annelinde Bruijs and Gerbrand Burger emerged, their voices echoing across the open field. Dressed in various hues of yellow and orange, they stood out against the muted greens, browns and soft purples that made up the surrounding landscape.Together, they performed the composition Dear Wood: a hymn and ode to the forest.

The performers wore pieces from the LOADS Collection, by Claudy Jongstra.

Artist-activist Claudy Jongstra brings her artistic vision and holistic textile expertise to LOADS – a vibrant creative hub at the center of a net-positive textile collective – initiated in collaboration with her son, Jesk Jongstra. Loads Collection is handcrafted with Demeter-certified, biodynamic mono fabrics, composed of 100% traceable and biodegradable natural fibres and plant-based colours, cultivated on a gentle scale through biodynamic agriculture and regenerative shepherding.