Members of The Arborealists will be giving talks as part of the “If Trees Could Talk Devon” International Art Biennale. This public conversation embodies the theme of ‘connecting across borders.’
If Trees Could Talk Devon is a ‘crowd-sourced’ Festival of creative, ecological, and wellbeing events happening around the county - in association with an international art Biennale based in the Philippines.
Talks Across Borders: Artists & Their Relationships to Trees
Tuesday 23 June, 2026, 7:30pm-9:30pm
What are the roles that trees play in artists' practice? Why Trees? How do artists interpret the provocation, "If Trees Could Talk"?
Featuring Arborealists Ann Blockley and Jacqueline Wedlake Hatton
Talks Across Borders: Trees Within Us and the MicroBiome
Wednesday 8 July, 2026, 7:30pm-9:30pm
Artist Andrew Carnie partners with researchers in neuroscience, biology, and technology, as well as with other visual artists, to create large-scale installations. The "Winter Tree" project explores how the dendritic forms in our bodies, the neurons in our brain, mirror dendritic forms in nature: the tree in the landscape. 'Tree-like' structures are found everywhere, allowing distribution, collection and connection, and in our brains, are ultimately core to how we think. His developing project on the microbiome, the 'Sea in Us', further explores how we are not independent of the world around us - but fully part of it, humans are not exceptional.
Talks Across Borders: Entrepreneurs, Creative and Green
Tuesday 14 July, 2026, 7:30pm-9:30pm
How are creatives changing our relationship to the environment through commerce? How are they making space in our economy for their work and messages?
Tim Craven founded The Arborealists artists’ collective (40 exhibitions and 9 publications to date) in 2013. He trained in fine art and Conservation, and has worked in Conservation, Collection Management, and as a Curator. His artworks are held in gallery and private collections worldwide.
The Talks are all ticketed, on a pay-what-you-can basis through both Ashburton Arts Centre and wegottickets.com/ashburtonarts and Significant Seams, the Festival coordinating organisation via the full online programme significantseams.org.uk/if-trees-could-talk-devon-2026-programme.
