[ ] of the Woodland // [ ] na Coille is an community arts project celebrating Oban as a woodland/rainforest town.

“Did you know that we in Oban are some of the few lucky folks in the country within walking distance of a rainforest?! But what is a rainforest? Why is it special? Who lives and grows in it? What can folklore tell us of the magic of these places, and of the historic connections between the woods and humans? Did you know that Gaelic language and culture is intimately entangled with woodlands and trees?

We (myself Mika Schröder and co-curator Naoko Mabon) are excited to launch the schedule for our community arts project celebrating Oban as a woodland and rainforest town! Throughout the summer we will be facilitating woodland walks and arts/crafts workshops at various locations around Oban. The outputs will be published in a wee booklet along with Oban woodland stories, poems, and songs by local writers.

The booklet will launch on Saturday 16th September at Dunollie Castle Grounds, which will feature a crafts table, artwork exhibition and performances, culminating in a guided woodland walk around Dunollie by Woodland Trust Site Manager. On the Sunday there is also an opportunity to attend an outdoor woodland-themed film screening and enjoy local food together with the Oban Phoenix as part of their Outdoor Film Festival!

Please use this link to get onto our Eventbrite page and book you spot on our events.

If you have any more questions or ideas about the project please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me on here or via email: schroder.mika@gmail.com”

Co-curated by Mika Schröder and Naoko Mabon, in collaboration with: Dunollie Museum, Castle and Grounds; The Woodland Trust; and Oban Phoenix Cinema. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.