Reconnect: A new body of work
‘The sight of sky and things growing are fundamental needs, common to all men’ - Octavia Hill, National Trust Founder
Reconnecting for body, mind, and climate
Spending time outside is now proven to make us healthier and happier. One study found that walks in the forest were associated with decreased levels of anxiety and bad moods. So, being in nature has wonderful restorative powers for the human individual, but can it also help to combat climate change?
It has been noted that those who reconnect regularly with the outdoors have a stronger sense of Earthly wonder and respect. Therefore, the link between nature dwellers and those who most see the urgency to protect the planet goes hand in hand.
With the will to kerb climate disaster and acknowledgement that we can only do this by keeping our own minds and bodies in good health, we’re commencing a new body of work called ‘Reconnect’.
We’re joining the global conversation to encourage more slow time spent in nature and we want you to take your jewellery on the journey.
Taking your jewellery on a journey
Your jewellery is an important part of how we will encourage you to reconnect with nature.
Jewellery is inherently symbolic. Each item of adornment carries a memory of some kind, whether that be family, love, luck, or even grief. Jewellery enables us to keep these thoughts close and ever-present.
We will be encouraging you to form memories with a piece of jewellery to help establish and deepen your connection with nature. Whether that be fiddling with a necklace on a long hilly walk, or twisting a ring whilst deep in thought on a breezy beach.
Your jewellery will aid you to carry a reminder your of love of nature, and the memories you make in your acts of reconnection with you every day.
Over the coming months, we’ll be encouraging you to take part in a series of gentle moments in nature to slow down, observe and allow yourself to reconnect.
This project will primarily take shape on social media (do make sure you are following us on Instagram @emmaaitchisonjewellery to take part), although we will be ensuring ways in which the prompts we set can be done offline too.
We will also be launching a competition and some new collaborations during this project so do keep your eyes peeled and sign up for our mailing list for the latest Reconnect news.
The first act of reconnection
For our first act of reconnection, we encourage you to sit peacefully for ten minutes in a local space. This could be a favourite hiking path, a local city park, or a crisp and wintery nature reserve. Find a bench, tree stump, or a small patch of ground that you can sit comfortably in.
Note five things you can see, hear and smell where you are sitting. Look deeply to notice the unseen and obscured. Quieten your thoughts to hear more. Try naming the smells descriptively, “green”, “salty”, or “herbal”.
Thank your senses for being able to note these wonders of nature. Continue on your path.
#reconnectwithnature
Photograph by Claudia Kershaw-Rae
Photograph by Claudia Kershaw-Rae