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.
Starting at Bleen Wood, Adam Chodzko led the third walk into the near future as part of a funeral procession for some of the UK’s last remaining ash trees, with a few surprises in store for walkers along the way.
Adam’s practice uses a wide range of media including video, installation and performance, and is characterised by a keen curiosity, exploring the interactions and possibilities of human behaviour – the gap between how we are and how we could be.
This is the third 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.