In the faded forest sounds
the call of a bird
that seems meaningless
in this faded forest
and yet the rounded birdcall rests
in this interim that shaped it,
wide as the sky upon the faded forest. (R.M. Rilke)
I grew up in a rural area of western Germany, surrounded by forests, places of magic and refuge where myths, ancestral stories and childhood adventures intertwined. The bond with those landscapes shaped my understanding of nature as a source of wonder and a reflection of the cycles of life. Returning to Germany during the Covid-19 pandemic, after more than 10 years living abroad, I was confronted with a bleak reality: the forests of my childhood had changed drastically. Climate change with its high temperatures and droughts caused the bark beetle to proliferate, drying out and killing a huge percentage of the forest, exposing the fragility of human-designed plantations and the urgent need to restore natural ecosystems.
This situation, becoming aware of it, led me to explore the emotional and cultural ties that bind us to nature. Through photography, I began to document my family's relationship with the forest, while reflecting on my own journey through motherhood. Just as the forest is governed by cycles of life and death, motherhood is a process of transformation-a small death and a rebirth of the self. I was fascinated to discover the parallels between the natural world and the human experience, especially the way social expectations have drawn us away from our primordial instincts and connections, attempting to reunify our essence with the wild world.
Ancient myths and traditions, such as the Rauhnächte-the long, dark nights of the winter solstice-remind us of the deep bond between people, nature, and the essence of womanhood. These stories challenge us to listen, to trust our instincts and to reclaim what we have lost. Renaturalization, both of landscapes and of ourselves, involves letting go of control and embracing the wild, instinctual forces that sustain life.
As forest plantations disappear, they leave behind empty spaces, blank canvases for the possibility of new life. Even in a vanishing forest, a bird's song persists, reminding us of hope and resilience. My work seeks to honor this connection, inviting us to reclaim our ancestral bond with nature and to act with urgency in the face of environmental crisis. Like the forest, life is a cycle of loss and regeneration, and in it dwells the potential for healing and transformation.