event listings for june 5 (click on map above for more info)

Lunchtime Listening Lab with Kim V. Goldsmith, Noon until 1:30 pm AEST, Dubbo

@goldsmithstudio

Take 5 minutes of your lunch break to listen to the heartbeat of a tree and the energy in the earth beneath your feet on the front lawn of the Western Plains Cultural Centre in Dubbo NSW. Connect with life that’s more than human. Come with an open mind, leave with a full heart.

Scents of Solastalgia with Linda Knight & Tarsh Bates, 9 until 11am (UTC+3), Tartu, Estonia

@lk_inefficient_urban_maps @tarshbates

This action is a collaboration between Knight and Bates involving the public distillation of fragrant hydrosols from site-specific plants in Tartu, Estonia and a scent marking performance. Performed simultaneously with a similar action in Perth, Australia, this is part of an ongoing collaborative exploration of smell, place-making and solastalgia. Using steam distillation, odorants are extracted from plant material significant to the locations. Members of the public use the hydrosol to mark and map the plant smells onto a human body ‘protected’ by a hazmat suit. A fragrant and ephemeral memorial is performed.

Audiences can arrive at any time, the mapping onto the human body will begin at 10.30am

Sketching Soundscapes with Zoe Sadokierski at 12:30 until 1:30 pm AEST, University of Technology, Sydney 

@critical_visualisation

Participants are invited to follow simple instructions to engage in a guided listening experience, followed by a soundscape sketching exercise. Sketches produced will be collated as a flag-fold book. The activity will encourage people to slow down, listen and reflect on ways to engage with the natural world even in a busy urban environment.

Headphones/earbuds and a smartphone/computer to access the guided listening experience. Paper and drawing utensils will be provided for the sketching activity. The exercise will take as little as 15 minutes and as long as participants want to spend. 

Scents of Solastalgia with Nien Schwarz and Susan Hauri-Downing at 2 until 4pm (UTC+8), Perth

@nienschwarz

This collaboration between Schwarz and Hauri-Downing involves the public distillation of fragrant hydrosols from trees in a quarantine zone in Perth, Australia. Performed simultaneously with a similar action in Tartu, Estonia, this is part of an ongoing collaborative exploration of smell, place-making and solastalgia. Using steam distillation, odorants are extracted from plant material significant to a current biosecurity situation impacting Perth’s urban landscape. An exotic beetle, the Polyphagous Shot-Hole Borer, is reproducing in specific host trees. When an infestation is detected in a tree, the tree is eradicated. The artists create a fragrant memorial.

Dungog Listening Station with Jane Richens at Noon until 2pm AEST, Dungog, New South Wales

Take some time to tune into sounds of nature. Join us during lunchtime at an outdoor listening station in the middle of Dungog outside the CWA hall, between 12 noon and 2pm. Listen to local environmental soundscapes or ones from across the country.

Mundaring listen/heed with Perdita Phillips at Noon until 1pm AWST, Hovea Falls, John Forest National Park

@perditaphillips

Join Phillips for a listening walk at Hovea Falls. Focusing on listening to the forest, we will explore sounds of water (visible and invisible) and below-the-ground (listening in to rocks, soil and microbiological processes). It will only last one hour. This event is associated with a residency at the Mundaring Arts Centre in the lead-up to the Melange exhibition opening in July.

Please arrive at the carpark at 11:45 for a 12:00 start. Bring: camera/smartphone, enclosed shoes, insect repellent, water bottle, clothes to suit the weather: raincoat or hat and sunburn cream

All the Wild Things with Debbie Symons online at 10 until 10:30 am AEST

@debbie_symons

Join Symons on Instagram for a recording from Kabi Kabi Country, once home to numerous native species. Let's sit silently deep within the coastal woodland and watch for species we may encounter. 

non-human listenings with Annette Nykiel at 8:00 until 8:30 am AWST, anywhere

@slow-maker

Nykiel will spend half an hour listening with those who are around her. There’s no internet/phone connectivity but perhaps people will imagine with us at this time or use this time to listen with non-human others in their space. This will be an experiential event and not recorded though the artist will post images/reflections after the event.

Melbourne Meet-Up with Leaf-Curling Spider Neighbours with Pattie Beerens, 10-11am AEST 

@pattiebeerens

Join a fun meet up at the Royal Botanical Gardens (Domain Road Gate), Melbourne with indigenous leaf-curling spiders! Chat about these resident recyclers, their urban survival skills, and how they continue to dwell with us in the city. Inspired by thinkers Ingold, Braidotti, and Bennett, we will explore dwelling with nature on this walk.

Please arrive at the Domain Road Gate at 9.45am and after the walk we can visit a local coffee shop.

And, in the afternoon....

Anglesea Meet-Up with Leaf-Curling Spider Neighbours with Pattie Beerens, 2.30 -3.30pm AEST

Join a fun meet-up in the studio of artist Pattie Beerens to celebrate World Environment Day. Meet up with local creatives - with indigenous leaf-curling spiders that Pattie has befriended and collaborated with in her praxis of creating relations with the more-than-human. Chat about these resident architects and share stories and observations over a warming hot chocolate.

A Listening Ritual with Clarice Yuen, 10am AWST

@clariceyuen

This event explores the ritual of listening, moving beyond human language to embrace the subtle interactions within our everyday surroundings. For instance, garden peas communicate with their environment through nonverbal networks. Beyond our languages, we also engage in communication through smell, touch, and other sensory experience. I will remain still in my garden, recording its soundscapes. These recordings will later be available for any earthlings to use at their leisure for reading, drawing, or meditation.

Observance II with Heidi Kenyon, 11am ACST (30 minutes) Watiparinga Reserve, Eden Hills SA

@heidikenyon.art

I will explore an attentive state of consciousness in my local nature reserve. I visit this place almost everyday, however I am usually walking with my dog or my kids, connected to a podcast or thinking of what is next on my to-do list. My intention is simply to pause and observe what comes up as I linger in the shared space of being with more-than-human others. I will be offline during this time, however, I will post reflections after the event.

This is a personal ritual. I invite others to do the same in their own local environments.

A Global Message from Forest Ambassadors’ Manual of Kindness Collective, with Gloria Florez

@gloriaflorezstudio

I am excited to share our collective messages from our Forest Ambassadors Environmental Project. These messages come from school children and communities in Australia, California, and Taiwan. United in our mission, we emphasize the vital importance of protecting and preserving our world's forests, not only for our benefit today but for the future generations.

Together, we can create a world where our forests are safe, healthy, and flourishing. Let's act now for a better tomorrow. Happy International Environmental Day!

Forest Symphony - Listen to the Land with Fiona Sinclair, 4pm AWST,  Northcliffe WA

@southernforestarts

Join the this guided walk at the Understory Art & Nature Trail. Enjoy some quiet reflection on the voice of our forests.

A Journey Forward from Behind with Cassandra Tytler, 10am AWST, Lake Gnangara, Whadjuk Boodjar, WA

@cassandratytler