Ash Walk #2

The ash tree is the most common tree in the Kent Downs but in 2012, ash dieback (caused by the fungal pathogen Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) was discovered in the U.K. and the disease has rapidly spread. Ash dieback is untreatable and could see the demise of up to 98% of these trees over the next decade.

The Ash Project is a cultural response to ash dieback, asking how we might mark and celebrate ash trees. In 2018, The Ash Project is working in partnership with Whitstable Biennale to present a series of artists’ walks. Curator Rose Thompson has devised four walks in collaboration with artists, encouraging different ways of looking at and exploring the landscape in Kent.

The second in this series of walks was hosted by The Walking Reading Group (TWRG), which is run by Lydia Ashman, Ania Bas and Simone Mair. The group facilitates a knowledge exchange through the discussion of texts whilst walking.

On this walk, TWRG focused on care in relation to the environment, taking the ash dieback disease, which has now infected Ash trees across Kent, at the centre point of the discussion. Selected texts exploring the different ways we relate to the environment were provided to walkers and formed the basis for conversation during the walk.

This is the second in a series of Ash Walks taking place in 2018. Supported by Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council England, Kent County Council, and the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.