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ways of knowing
Tree Feelers
For touch interaction with the trees, we use our hands, and Tree Feelers, made from land-based materials and informed by Indigenous ways of knowing. Led by Métis artist Lara Felsing, we developed Tree Feelers based on drum mallets, rutes, brushes and bows for string instruments. The Tree Feelers help us listen to the sounds of trees, and the material character of the plant life from which they are made.
Some of the Tree Feelers created for Branching Songs
Traditionally, mallets, rutes and brushes are used by percussionists to activate instruments such as drums, vibes, bells, etc. Mallets can have a soft or hard head which will produce a diffused or hard sound when used to strike an instrument. Rutes are like drumsticks but made with a bundle of small dowels or sticks at the end which achieve a softer or more diffused sound than a drumstick. Brushes are used to create a shimmering type of sound. Bows are usually used with stringed instruments and allow the musician to create a continuous sound.
Lara showing some of the Tree Feelers
Lara used these models but adapted them by using land-based materials to suit our performances with trees. ‘Cast-offs’, such as small branches on the forest floor, pine cones, feathers and sticks were used.
Julie using a mallet Tree Feeler and feather bow
The feather bow being used on a Ribbon holding a contact mic
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