The Arch in the Forest

At the end of October, we had the pleasure of hosting artist Jim Sanders and filmmaker Mellissa Berry here on the farm. Before they prepared to leave, they unveiled a beautiful piece of art -- an arch -- in the woods (near the Merlin Tree, for those who have hiked our trails before).

Mellissa Berry and Jim Sanders standing under the arch

Jim traveled from Brighton, England, and stayed on the farm at Mellissa's invitation. Mel has been spending a lot of time at Leaping Lamb Farm over the last year, bringing filmmakers, musicians, and artists into the forest to create art and tell stories.

Read on for more from Jim and Mellissa about the creation of the piece, and enjoy the photos from Denny!

Jim Sanders at Leaping Lamb Farm

Driftwood and twine as part of the arch's structure

Mellissa:"I met Jim in Brighton while at a performance art workshop led by Bryony Kimmings. It was one of those kismet moments. I could immediately see how his art could bring even more magic to the already magical forest at Leaping Lamb. His art channels these incredible mythological creatures, images and ideas; and is extremely tactile -- so deeply personal, modern, and yet redolent of many cultural traditions. I asked him to come to this forest in Oregon, to a place he had never heard of before, and he said yes!"

Mellissa:"Part of the reason we decided to build a portal up near the majestic Merlin tree was to bring a sense of presence and ceremony to that space. To feel like this was inviting in more magic, faeries and that sense of wonder, awe, and imagination that the forest unleashes during all seasons. We saw this as a gathering space for guests, for dance, for weddings, for celebrations big and small."

The Arch at Leaping Lamb Farm

Mellissa:"One of the many amazing creative overlaps with Jim was that he came to Portland after a month of creating for an art center in Sweden. In this tiny remote village, called Moskosel, 10 hours north of Stockholm, he created these evocative spaces that will now host music, dance and art. That small town carries on the Sami culture with their reliance on reindeer, shamanic practices, and amazing art and festival traditions. As we were collecting the material for the portal, we came across a herd of elk. We walked the land and shore collecting wood and bones and materials that had significance to the local indigenous PNW peoples. It was a global connection that felt deeply resonant during this time of much needed connection to the earth. We also stumbled over loads of mushrooms sprouting up during this very wet fall! And we ate some chanterelles, yum!"

Mellissa:"The process of creating the arch was one part waiting for Mother Nature to stop raining and the other part getting materials up to the site -- going on foraging missions to gather things. It is a bit of an uphill hike from the farmhouse and the walk has many distractions including curious sheep, Honey Grove creek, a super-sweet donkey named Paco, as well as ferns, trees, salamanders, mushrooms…"

Mellissa: "Jim’s vision was amazing to watch unfurl. There was lots of cutting and sawing. Loads of string tying… I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process of being up in the woods all day “off the grid” making art with someone with such vision. In the end, the piece feels like it is of the earth and alive -- it moves and makes noise -- and the shape and story changes as you move around it…

Jim: "The process of creating the arch was completely intuitive and organic. First there was choosing the position, two trees standing in a spot overlooking the large open glade left by the canopy of the huge 'Merlin Tree'. Behind them, the almost Segrada Familia like structure of the remains of a long-fallen Cedar. Using these gateway trees as our support, it was a matter of gathering logs and branches that were around and leaning and tying them to the trucks to form the uprights. To these a cross bar was added and this hung with pieces of driftwood collected from the Pacific coast to form the arch shape. A thatch of long branches was woven into the top to create height and to complete the skyward pointing shape. Finally the embellishment of more driftwood (bleached white by the elements to stand out ghost like amongst the browns and greens of the mossy damp forest), strips of fabric, sea pods, shells, coloured leaves and moss were also added. I would hope that visitors would be inclined to tie more objects to the arch when they visit, so it can evolve and grow and be kept alive as a shrine and place of contemplation and memory."

Mellissa: "As we finished, we created a path of vividly colored fallen leaves leading from the portal to the Merlin tree and the faerie house inside. It felt joyful, playful and fun to imagine the forest creatures using the leaves as stepping stones and to honor them all with their very own yellow and red carpet. Denny came up to help and take photos. We have tasked him with being the portal steward and protector over the next few months. I fully expect that when we come back he will have turned into a mythical creature himself.

We are excited to see how nature transforms the arch over the winter months -- how cool it will look with icicles hanging from it.  In the spring, we’ll come back to make more art, a film, fiber arts and crafts… the list is long."

Thank you, Jim and Mellissa, we enjoyed hosting you and love this magical piece of art in our forest!