Dawn Matheson wants to start connecting with trees, or a specific tree rather, at the University of Guelph Arboretum but she’s unsure which one yet. There is a process to get to know a tree and she is in the midst of sorting out that process. How do you find a friend in a tree when the culture around us says humans and trees can’t be friends? Well, she makes friends with other humans who are already friends with trees and starts from there.
Dawn is in the process of a project called “How To Draw A Tree” :
“I am building a project connecting trees with mental health and creativity which will result in a SOUND WALK up at the beautiful Arboretum at University of Guelph. Basically, we are matchmaking trees and humans for lifelong reciprocal friendships.”
Together we talk about our relationships to trees, the struggles of navigating interspecies communications while we navigate our own mental health, the work and challenges of settlers in building these relationships, and how Dawn hopes to engage with this work and her larger project of connecting with trees.
More info:
Dawn Matheson’s website