上周六4月20日在TEDxBeixinqiao是值得纪念的一天。演讲地点在北京市丰台区令人赞叹不已的重美术馆。
当站在舞台上的时候，那一刻，我真希望自己当初在学校里选修了辩论。我开始讲话，最惊讶的发现是，看到观众特别是女性观众对我报以鼓励的点头和微笑。
想要分享“记忆宫殿树的故事”背后理念的热情把我带上了这个舞台。在应对生态紧急状况方面我们的文化发挥着巨大作用。我演讲的主题是“重燃我们与自然的纽带”，探讨在我们面对生态危机、共同为我们的社区、经济和文化制定解决方案的时候，在这样的生态状况充满挑战时期的相互支持中，重建我们与生命世界的纽带的重要性。
Last Saturday April 20th at TEDx Beixinqiao was a day to remember. The venue was at the stunning Gravity Museum, Fengtai, Beijing.
When I stood on that stage, just for a split second I wished I had done debating back at school . Once I began speaking the most startling revelation was seeing the encouraging nods and smiles particularly from women in the audience.
Nothing else would have pulled me onto that stage other than to share the idea behind the ‘ Memory Palace of Tree Stories‘ . Our Cultures have a huge roles to play in addressing our ecological emergency. The talk was titled ‘Rekindling our Bond With Nature’ exploring the importance of rebuilding our bond with the living world as we confront our ecological crises and build solutions together for our communities, our economies and our cultures while also supporting each other during these ecologically challenging times. It was of course about fostering community and inspiring fresh perspectives on environmental challenges through the sharing of tree stories .
The Gathering for treestory tellers on Sunday 28th Jan.2024 was very special with almost 60 people in attendance. A huge thank you to Sister Mary Carmody and all at Carlow’s Community Garden ‘An Gairdin Beo’ (Ireland) for the use of the communuty hall and their continued support. The screenings included a wide range of stories ranging from the very rare Wollemi Pine to a joyful tree song from Yunnan to a very funny tree climbing gorilla. After the screenings there was no need to facilitate tree story speed dating, everyone was curious and jumped straight into meeting and chatting with other treestory tellers. They had found their tribe. After the break we had a few words introducing The Earth Charter by Dr Cathy Fitzgearld. Also there was videographer Patrick Bramley who shared the experience of trying to entice people to tell a tree story at different events at Carlow’s Garden Festival Summer 2023 . The open discussion included ideas and information from tree planters foresters, farmers and gardeners.
会合之地100 x 120cm布面丙烯， Niamh Cunningham 倪芙瑞莲 2023
绘画“森林的呼吸”系列始于两年前（2021年）的云南西双版纳“生命的律动”在地艺术创作项目。我决定继续画下去，关注热带雨林和天际线。
当我想到此刻正在呼吸的空气，会想到树叶表面和气体交换。树叶吸收碳，利用光、水通过光合作用制造出氧气。戴维·乔治·哈斯凯尔在他的《树木之歌》一书中描述这个过程时提到，即使是松针上也分布有嘴唇形状的细胞。
所以如果植物是碳的暂时的结晶，那什么是空气？
空气是4亿年来森林的呼吸。
西双版纳热带植物园的板根大树
人们很少会遇到这样的场景，你发现自己站在世界边缘，一个偏远的地方，有着异国情调的生态环境、各具特色的少数民族、不同的语言和生活节奏，这里是勐仑镇，紧邻中国面积最大的热带雨林保护区。
1. Tik Tok Palm Clock 100 x 120cm acrylic on canvas , Niamh Cunningham 倪芙瑞莲 2023
The Forest Breath Series of paintings began two years ago (2021) at this same residency ‘The Rhythm of Life’ in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan. I decided to continue this focus on tropical trees and skylines.
When I think about the air that I breathe I think about the surface of a leaf and gas exchange. The leaf enhales carbon and together with light and water after photosynthesis exhales oxygen. David George Haskell even points out that pine needles have lip shaped cells as he describes this process in his book ‘The Songs of Trees’.
So if plants are temporary crystalised carbon, then what is air?
……….Air is 400 millions years of Forest Breath.
Buttress tree at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Gardens
Its not often you find yourself standing on the edge of the world, a place so remote with exotic ecologies, diverse ethnicities, different languages and pace of life in a village called Menglun, which sits next door to the largest protected rainforest in China.
Returning to Xishuangbanna (Yunnan) to spend two weeks at the Octagon Lodge was a true joy. The combination of intense painting and getting to know the other artists and also the environmentalists in the education centre in Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Gardens XTBG for me was a perfect union of strengths and energies.