Forest encounters:Communication with Trees, Stones and Powers of Nature

Participating in arts activities is claimed to increase health and well-being, and nature is augmented to be a source of positive health. We sought to create a synergy of impacts of arts and nature, and carried out research to develop arts-based methods for enhancing communication with trees, and natural landscapes, for better well-being. Our research is both motivated and characterized by the need to implement new strategies that help reduce the stress caused by modern life and global environmental and societal conflicts with regard to on-going exploitation and destruction of forests and woodlands in the Arctic; and as a consequence, to help increase eco-awareness and appreciation of nature.