Our Future Is Ancient

We delivered our first digital Barnaby festival programme on June 20th & 21st 2020, you can watch video content from the weekend here:

Artist and photographer Simon Buckley of Not Quite Light has visited Macclesfield Forest for the past year, exploring the forest at first and last light for his Barnaby Festival commission Our Future is Ancient. Following a delay to a planned performance due to COVID-19 restrictions, our Co-Chair Abi Gilmore interviews Simon about his piece, his connection to the forest and how his work has changed in an altered world.

Prior to the event Simon said: “It’s been quite a journey. It began with me, taking my urban self into the forest in the depths of winter when it was very dark. We all grew up with the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel so, despite it being a place of sanctuary, I actually felt safer on the streets of Salford.”

“However, in the past months, I’ve grown to love being here in the twilight, even feeling disappointment when the light arrives. The call of owls and other creatures is quite magical.”

“Lockdown changed our world and during the weeks of confinement, I began to crave the forest, desperate to savour its mysteries and the comfort of the natural world. The virus has caused me to feel very differently about my own life, and creating work around such an ancient place feels very relevant at the moment.”