BIO
Dr Amy-Jane Beer is a biologist, naturalist, writer, editor, consultant and campaigner. Her books, feature articles and columns cover a broad range of natural history and conservation topics and she has been involved in a variety of campaigns with emphasis on equality, access to nature, nature friendly farming and rivers. She is a Country Diarist for The Guardian and columnist for British Wildlife. Her next books are A Tree A Day (Sept 21) and The Flow: a return to the river (Aug 2022). She lives in Ryedale.
ABOUT THE ART
After 20 years of recreational visits to Dalby, I decided to approach this residency in the most literal way possible – by fully inhabiting the forest. I decided to visit in every season, to stay all night, to roam, to sleep with nothing between me and the trees or the sky. I’ve drunk from springs under the lantern of the Wolf Moon, sought the shelter of the Bridestones from a howling midnight gale, shared dusky encounters with roe deer and woodcock. I’ve watched the forest sleep and wake, hunker down and unfurl, and felt profound connections to people who’ve called this place home over thousands of years – some of whose bones lie here still in barrows and tumuli. This residency is giving me time and a reason to explore wider and deeper, to walk, to sit, to really look, listen and learn. And it’s proving to be a revelation.