Resonance Field Presentation

On a warm June day, we gathered at Welna once more to celebrate the presentation of Resonance Field by Germaine Kruip, Thinking Forest’s second annual art commission.

During this sweltering summer afternoon, we gathered on a shaded meadow, by listening to Constance Chester reading her evocative essay on the project, which can be found here.

We then walked together through the shady forest to the heather field, where we met shepherd Arie Huisman, his dog, and the herd of goats and sheep. Surprisingly, the animals rhythmically activated the nine handmade bells through their heavy panting in the afternoon heat. Arie is a wonderful storyteller and described several of his encounters with the wolves that live at Welna, noting how the larger and louder bells probably help keep them at bay.

It was a long, special moment spent sitting in the shade with the panting sheep, noticing how the different sounds and tones wove into the conversations between Germaine, Constance, Arie, and the audience. Arie shared the wonderful news that his herd will soon remain permanently at Welna, where they will get their own sheepfold. This is beautiful news for Resonance Field.

At the end of the afternoon, Maison Dante provided much-needed snacks and refreshments, including za'atar swirls and crispy seed and chickpea crackers, served alongside fresh dips made of beetroot, white beans, and tahini, or carrot and squash.

Resonance Field features custom-made, harmonically tuned bronze bells created in collaboration with Chocalhos Pardalinho, a traditional cattle-bell manufacturer from Portugal. Worn by Welna's grazing herd, these bells transform the forest landscape into a living, ever-shifting acoustic sculpture. Sheep, among the earliest animals to be domesticated, proved to be gentle collaborators, calmly allowing their shepherd, Arie, to adorn them with the bells.

Bringing Resonance Field to life, however, was a humbling lesson in relinquishing control—one of the most valued takeaways of this winding, multispecies collaboration. The project was a long time in the making, beginning in the summer of 2024 and facing a postponed launch the following year, when our timeline had to adapt to the herd's unpredictable grazing routes.

Throughout this process, we embraced changing dates and circumstances. Arie enlightened us on the nuances of herding habits, elucidating the differences between herding traditions that balance control and flexibility, and teaching us how to adapt our human expectations to the rhythm of the animals.

This living sound piece will now remain in the forest, offering an immersive experience to anyone who tracks down the roaming herd, which grazes around Welna and its surroundings from spring to autumn. From now on, any chance encounter with the flock during a visit to Welna will be met with the rich, ambient resonance of Germaine's work.

A big thank you to Petra Katanic for her beautiful photos.