How well do you know the plants, animals, insects, and fungi you live next to? 

Hello Neighbours gives people the chance to get to know their more-than-human neighbours who live in the woods. The project invites people to see themselves as a forest being - and elevates the position of other forest beings to neighbour status.

Participants start by finding / choosing a subject to get to know. There is no need for them to know their name or anything else about them. Examples might be a tree, a patch of mushrooms, a squirrel. They then have 20-30 minutes to spend by themselves, using a booklet with questions and prompts as a guide. Without a shared verbal language, getting to know each other will require all of our senses, some unconventional ways of relating, skills of observation and patience. To conclude the exercise, everyone will introduce the Forest neighbour they spent time with, opening up larger conversations about the woods and our connection to them.

Hello Neighbours in Heidewald was followed by a gathering at Carl Bosch Haus, with participants, old and new neighbours and all interested parties, to talk to each other over food and drinks - about Maxdorf, the Heidewald, nature conservation, biodiversity, regional landscape planning, their personal commitment to the forest and more.

Photos by Arthur Bauer, from Heidewald (Germany)