A Stage

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Following on from my post about Nature and Art, yesterday I found the ideal venue. It was at Nunnington Hall, a National Trust Property situated on the edge of the Howardian Hills. Inside there was a photography exhibition by Joe Cornish and Simon Baxter with the title "All the Wood's a Stage." Yes it was a play on that much famed quotation from Shakespeare, but the point they were making was that trees are the performers in nature and that we should reconnect with woodland using our powers of observation and other senses. I wasn't sure what to expect but went with an open mind.

The photographs were stunning, unlike my own example above. They showed trees through the changing seasons; symbols of life, beauty, death and renewal; providers of quietude; guardians of the environment. They appeared as immense, silent wardens of the natural world and a fundamental part of the planet's vital ecosystem. I felt inspired; I wanted to reach for a camera myself or at least start hugging tree trunks. Nobody could visit a wood or an exhibition of this kind without feeling a boost to both their physical and mental well-being.


Many visitors, however, appeared to be there with the aim of appreciating the multitude of Christmas lights and trees decorated by local schools and community organisations, amidst the historic furnishings on the lower floors of the Hall. They were warm and cosy but they did not elevate the spirit in the same way as the exhibition gallery on the top floor. Sadly the draw of the tea room or the reluctance to climb another flight of stairs, deterred many visitors from going  higher. 

How often and how easy is it to be enticed and comforted by the familiar? Embracing the unknown, particularly when there is a natural element to the experience, can, however, make us soar or at least climb that final staircase. In retirement I have discovered that it definitely works for me.




Comments

Treaders said…
On the way over to my kids' house there is a plane tree which I always find absolutely stunning. Oh it's pretty in summer of course, but when all the leaves fall in the winter it's sensational - a bit like huge arthritic fingers!!! I always wish I could stop and get a photo of it but unless someone else is driving that's not possible!
16 December 2025 at 08:12
Caree Risover said…
Some trees are simply majestic, aren’t they?
16 December 2025 at 09:16
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