THE ART
OF TRACKING
Science, art, story-telling & nature connection.
Join David Wege to rediscover an ancient human skill – a skill that played a catalytic role in our communication through art and story-telling, and in the development of scientific thinking. Tracking was part of our natural connection with the more-than-human beings around us and can help us re- connect once more. We will follow a path from the origins of tracking, exploring on the way how tracking helps us observe and stimulate our curiosity, and will end up with a close look at the artistry in animal tracks.
All sessions are recorded and made available for a week following the course. This also includes times for any feedback questions.
Upcoming Dates
Wednesday 2nd April 6 pm UK
Saturday 28 June at 10 am UK
£40
David Wege is a tracker – a reader of the stories that are written in the tracks and signs left behind by the more-than-human beings as they go about their lives. David teaches tracking and has authored and illustrated two animal track books (Mammal Tracks of Europe, and Bird Tracks). In illustrating animal tracks, David has discovered a path of artistry and creativity that’s woven into the fabric of our environment – a path that was well known to our hunter-gatherer ancestors who tracked, painted, carved, and told stories about the other beings around them. David brings a wealth of nature knowledge and passion into his teaching as he invites us to join him on a path of curiosity, creativity and connection.
IN A 2 HOUR LIVE SESSION:
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What to prepare
When you’re next wandering in a natural area, start looking for signs of the more-than-human beings who might have been there before you. Can you see any tracks? What do they look like? Can you draw or describe them? Where was the animal going? Do you notice anything else – a feather perhaps, some signs of animals feeding, nests, holes or burrows? Just start noticing and pondering on who, what, where, when and why.
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What to bring to the session
Please just bring your curiosity and perhaps any photos of tracks and signs you’ve found that you might like to share to see if we can read the stories in them. Come prepared to make notes and draw.
Learning outcomes
Participants of this workshop will learn:
Animals are everywhere – and even if we don’t see them, we can see and read the signs that they leave behind.
Tracking is an ancient art that still has relevance in enhancing the way we experience and interact with nature around us.
Tracking stimulates our creativity in terms of story-telling, imagination and art. We will look at different ways to “capture” tracks (through drawing, inky footprints and plaster casts), and also how to find the stories in tracks and signs.
We will learn what to look for and how to identify a few simple animal tracks.
By the end of the workshop, your relationship with mud, snow or dust and sand will have changed – curiosity will compel you to see who else walked there and to read their stories.
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