A creative making day with artist Emma Smith, ecologist Anthony Sepa and WREN, exploring the hidden species of the park.

Choreographies of the Air

Join artist Emma Smith for a free, drop-in day of creative activities exploring the invisible worlds moving through the air around us.

What microscopic life can be found in the air at Wanstead Park? How does it move through the landscape, carried by the wind and what can this reveal about the hidden ecological connections between places and species?

Come and explore the airborne worlds of Wanstead Park through looking, making, mapping and flying. You can drop in for one activity or stay for the whole afternoon.

Activities:

Discover invisible worlds

Take a closer look at the hidden microscopic and miniature worlds found in the air and environment around Wanstead Park and Wanstead Flats. Using a microscope and field lenses, explore lichens and other tiny forms of life, with guest Ecologist and lichen specialist Dr Anthony Speca on hand to introduce the species we discover and share insights into their relationships with the surrounding environment. Together, we’ll look more closely at these often-overlooked organisms and consider what they can reveal about the wider ecology of the park.

There will be 2 x lichen sessions:

Lichen Session 1: 11.00 – 12.30

Lichen Session 2: 13.00 – 14.30

Map the air

How might we map the movement of species through an environment we cannot see? Work with others to create a large-scale, choreographic map of the airspace above Wanstead Park. We’ll explore and visualise the different pathways, patterns and movements that might be made by species travelling through the local air – from insects and birds to seeds, spores and other airborne organisms.

Make and fly a microworld kite

Explore the forms and patterns of microscopic life found in the air – including algae, spores and airborne eDNA – and experiment with shape, pattern and movement to create your own kite. Once your kite is made, take it into the park and observe how it responds to the wind, before joining others for a collective flight.

No previous experience needed – just curiosity about the world around and above us.