White Wood
The White Wood is a living monument to peace, which will develop over three hundred years. As a site of reflection, it was created by the community of Huntly and artist Caroline Wendling, with oaks from Germany, stones from France and Scottish soil. Along with forty nine oaks, grown from acorns from Joseph Beuys' 7000 Oaks in Kassel, the wood is made up of one thousand seven hundred native trees, shrubs and wild flowers, all of which displays an element of white, the colour of peace.
While it was conceived in response to the centenary of the start of WW1 and symbolically represents peace between nations, the ideas surrounding the wood will continue to grow with the trees. As the oaks take three hundred years to grow, three hundred years to mature and three hundred years to die, the legacy of the wood greatly surpasses us individuals and any future we can imagine. To pass on this story we are engaging artists from all disciplines and the local community to develop the wood as a space for activities, inspiration and contemplation.
In 2020 Caroline returned to Deveron Projects to create a waymarked route to the White Wood. Although regularly used by walkers, Caroline wanted to cement the route for multiple generations to come, in the form of beautiful bronze waymarkers. Working closely with the Scottish Sculpture Workshop, Caroline designed a waymarker that symbolised the White Wood's story, inviting the communities of Huntly into the making process through a public bronze pour and collaborations with students at The Gordon Schools. The waymarkers are dotted along the circular route created from Huntly train station to the White Wood, returning along the banks of the River Deveron. A new map is being created and the walk will be featured on Huntly Development Trust's new directory of local routes.
Caroline's Oaks & Amity project began back in 2014 and led to the planting of the wood in March 2015. Since then the wood has been utilised by the community and artists through organised walks, talks, cycles and as a site for inspiration.
Storyteller Ben Macfadyen joined us in winter 2015/16 to build on the legacy of the White Wood. He responded to the lifespan of the trees and stories from the community to create the White Wood Story, which aims to pass on the concept of the wood through the generations to 300 years in the future, when the oaks are fully grown.
Just over a year after the planting we explored the ideas behind the White Wood, from art to sustainability, and Joseph Beuys and beyond. The forum brought together artists, activists, anthropologists and other thinkers to exchange views on peace, ecology and culture, and to challenge the meaning of sustainability. Speakers included: Deirdre Heddon, Tim Ingold, Satish Kumar, Richard Demarco and many more.
A festival of music, food, walks, talks, performances and other activities to celebrate the official opening of the White Wood. Led by Alex Salmond MP, ambassadors, public figures and members of the community placed 49 peace flags next to each oak sapling. With performances by Ben Macfadyen, Caroline Wendling, Aminder Virdee and talks from Satish Kumar, Steve Brown, Neil Taylor, Nick May and many more.