REFLECTIONS on SENTIENCE
Cohort Testimonials
About the Sentient Forest
By Julija Pociūtė
Through the Gifts from the Sentient Forest project, I found a shared community of researchers and artists with aligned interests. The phrase gifts from the sentient forest encapsulates the idea that forests offer something vital—insights, inspiration, healing—if we approach them with sentience and sensitivity. However, remaining within a civilised context often makes it difficult to enter the forest in a clear and receptive state. I believe the forest is waiting to share its knowledge of interconnectedness.
During my first retreat in September in Äkäslompolo, Northern Finland, I wandered through the landscape, asking the forest for guidance. By sitting and standing in certain intuitively sensed places, I began to notice actions inspired by the land — particularly around an overgrown stump and a pine tree. One of the teachings I received during this experience was the use of my hair as a medium for connecting with the place. I began experimenting by covering the stump with my hair, feeling how it became entangled in a web of blueberry branches and moss. At the same time, I breathed in the scent of decaying wood mixed with the damp, earthy smell of mushrooms. As I tried to pull my hair free, it caught in the blueberry branches, and the slow combing process felt tender and nurturing. Near the pine tree, I found fallen branches — so white they resembled deer antlers. I placed them in my hair, twisting them together. In one fleeting moment, as all the branches became entangled in my hair, I experienced a short sense of belonging — of being connected to that place through the shared form of ramification. I documented this experience through photography, written notes, and drawings, capturing both the action and the feeling of rootedness it evoked. This material later evolved into a short video and a series of art objects, deepening the exploration of embodied connection with the forest.
During the project, I gained a deeper understanding by sharing my own experiences with other participants and discovering both similar and different insights. I can sense the sentience of the forest by being present — watching, listening, and feeling my surroundings— but it is not always easy to express this in words. When we gathered as a group to share our perceptions and moments of awareness, I began to recognize a shared sensitivity, alive reflection of the forest within me.
All images on this page are copyright of the artist Julija Pociūtė.
Top: 'Caressing Hands' (2021). HD video, 13 mins 36 secs.
Bottom: 'Caressing Hands' (2021). HD video, 13 mins 36 secs.
