Curious Conversations at Crofthead

Join us for an immersive experience in Crofthead Forest, part of the Curious Conversations Project. Expect a playful blend of forestry, science, art, performance, microscopy and sensory exploration as we wander together in conversation and curiosity. With Andrew Macqueen (forester), Morag Paterson (artist_, Gill Higgins (musician/microbiologist) and Christine Peters (clinical microbiologist).

We'll be lightheartedly exploring questions like:

• Human–forest connection: How do the forest biome and the human biome interact?
• Hidden fullness: What fills the ‘empty’ spaces in a forest — in the air, in the soil, between the trees?
• Senses alive: What are the sounds we hear in forests? What are the smells? And what do they reveal about the life around us?
• Health parallels: How might studies of human and forest pathology overlap — are there shared vulnerabilities, resistances, or ways of healing?
• Microbial worlds: What are the implications of land use for the microbial life of forests — in the soil, the air, the water, and across the living tissues of plants, animals, and people?
• Human response: Why do so many of us feel relaxed, restored, or even more alive in forests?
• Exchange of biomes: How quickly does the forest biome enter our bodies — through air, touch, and breath — and what impacts might that have on our overall health and wellbeing?
• But please feel free to bring your own!

No experience or specialist knowledge required. Dress for the weather, sturdy footwear required. Bring your own flask and snacks. The event is being held outdoors in a forest - please advise us of any accessibility needs at the time of booking and we'll do our best to accommodate them. All ages are welcome but under 18s should be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Precise location will be provded closer to the event.

Organiser Bios:

Andrew Macqueen is an independent forester based in South Scotland. In 2021 Andrew set up his own company – Andrew McQueen Silviculture – where he is involved in various aspects of forestry but specialising in site recognition and species selection. He is passionate about increasing diversity of both species and silvicultural systems in our forests and keen to reduce the polarisation between 'productive' and 'native' forestry.

Curlew (she/her) is the moniker of Gill Higgins, a Glasgow based Scottish artist. Curlew experiments with acoustic and electronic instruments, surround sound, drones, often complimented by acoustic reactive projections. Influenced by her past life in medicine; she incorporates field recordings due to their known benefits upon human physiology and psyche, alongside themes of folklore and the natural world.

Morag Paterson is an artist based in Dumfries and Galloway. She is fascinated by the processes taking place in the forest, whether in the seen or unseen elements of the ecosystem, or in human practices including management and the policy that shapes it.

Christine Peters is a clinical microbiologist who is fascinated by the interactions of humans with their surrounding bacterial friends and enemies. Her work has involved diagnostic testing, antibiotic resistance detection, and examining the risks posed to immune-compromised individuals from bacteria in a hospital environment. The idea of how to make a hospital a healthy place on a microbial level involves thinking through the very basics of human behaviours and their impact on surrounding spaces. The role of airborne transmission is of particular relevance, especially since the COVID pandemic revealed unsung science. Christine believes there is much to learn from other spaces, and she is curious to explore a forest setting by looking at the complexities of microflora.