Workshop Arts of Tending

Together with Roxani Krystalli (St Andrews), Sandra Fluhrer (FU Berlin), and Gilberto Mazzoli (University of Konstanz), I spent several spring days exploring The Arts of Tending, a project funded by the British Academy. We reflected on – and tended to – earthworms, bees, gardens, and soil. Tending, we found, is never neutral. Enabling one form of life often comes at the expense of another: slugs removed so that plants might thrive, worms eaten so that birds might live. Tending is also relational. It includes the friends who offer feedback, the children who interrupt us, the pets who curl beside us. It is about choosing what to nurture, how to respond, and when to let go. in the next step, our conversations will be made available online. Stay tuned!