Become part of Foresta

Foresta

Foresta is an association and a space for experimentation united by a key inquiry: how might we learn to live in more reciprocal, attentive and responsible relationships with the living world?

We engage with this question across arts, architecture, ecology, food, land care, learning and other fields, curious in how different forms of knowledge and practice can meet, and in what becomes possible when we pay closer attention to the relationships between humans, other living beings, materials, places and the systems that sustain us. We are particularly interested in practices that question established ways of producing, living and relating, and in creating conditions for trying out other possibilities.

Foresta is rooted in two geographies. In Asturias, Spain, we are stewarding an emergent forest garden, and a place for growing, cultivation, gathering and experimentation. In Biesenthal, just north of Berlin, we are also planting trees and building the infrastructure for future residencies, symposiums, gatherings and other forms of collective work. These places are not ecovillages or accommodation projects: they are spaces research, experimentation, encounter and exchange. The infrastructure is still developing, and we are actively building the conditions to host more sustained programmes in the future.

Being part of the association

Foresta is not only a programme or a place. It is a growing community of people interested in developing and testing practices of more attentive relationality.

We organise gatherings, workshops, artistic and ecological projects, learning programmes, residencies and collective work on the land. We cultivate food, make things, share knowledge, spend time outdoors, and create situations for attention, exchange and experimentation.

Membership is an invitation to become part of this community of humans and other beings, and contribute to its life — through time, knowledge, practical work, financial support, creativity or sustained participation.

You don't need to identify as an environmentalist, and you don't need to be a professional in any particular field. Foresta is particularly interested in people who move between fields, bring an artistic or exploratory sensibility to their work, and are curious about what can emerge through encounters between different practices.

As a member, you might…

* join seasonal gatherings and collective work

* participate in workshops and learning programmes

* contribute to artistic, ecological or other ongoing projects

* propose or host an activity, gathering, symposium or learning format

* join a working circle around one of Foresta's areas of attention, or initiate a new one

* develop your own practice or research in relation to Foresta’s core inquiries

* spend time on the land and contribute to its cultivation and care for its living processes

* share your knowledge, skills or practice with others

* take part in artistic and ecological research

* help organise events and gatherings

* contribute to building and developing the physical spaces and infrastructures

* help find funding, partnerships or other resources for the association

* support communication, documentation or other aspects of the collective work

* meet and collaborate with people working across related fields

* enjoy free and reduced-cost formats organised by the community

* participate in selected activities online as well as in person

* support the development of Foresta and help shape what the association becomes

There is no single way of participating. You might contribute to something already underway, bring a new proposition, help with the practical work of making a place, or simply participate in the activities that others are organising.

The association is a framework through which these different forms of participation can meet.

Membership

We take belonging seriously and try to find structures that accommodate various forms and wishes to be part of Foresta.

Gardener

For those who want to participate actively in the life and development of Foresta.

Gardeners can contribute to the association's work, join or initiate working circles, propose activities and projects, participate in collective decisions, and help shape its emerging directions.

Supporter

For those who feel connected to Foresta and want to contribute to its development, while having less capacity for regular involvement.

Supporters can follow the activities, join selected gatherings and formats, offer financial or other forms of support, and become more involved whenever a particular possibility arises.

Friend

For those who want to stay connected to Foresta and its community without becoming actively involved in the association.

Friends can follow what is happening, join public activities and gatherings, participate when something resonates, and support the work from time to time.

These are not fixed roles. Your relationship with Foresta can change over time, and you can move between different forms of participation as your circumstances and interests evolve.

Join

If you feel connected to what Foresta is developing, we invite you to join us.

Tell us a little about yourself, what brings you to Foresta, and how you might like to participate.

You don't need to arrive with a finished project or a defined role. You can simply bring a question, a practice, a skill, an interest or a willingness to contribute.

→ Apply to join Foresta