Here are some five-minute feral provocations. A feralosophy is best understood actively, through our wider sense-making capabilities and with interaction, not just through the receptive cognitive dimension of viewing on screen or reading. These provocations are fun to try, I’d love to hear your feedback.

Pick the one that attracts you most and give it a go.

Find the nearest living species to you right now, visible to the naked eye. (perhaps a house plant, a spider, a woodlouse, fungi, a tree). (here’s a pic of a nematode I spoke with)

observe it closely for a minute, and notice your sensory processing. eg distracted? breathing, what attracts you – the way it moves, where it is attracted etc

imagine, deeply and powerfully what it is like to be that living relation.

imagine a 24 hour cycle as that relation.

ask that living relation – what is important to you right now?

or any other question you feel like asking.

listen for the answers. You may receive them as imagined response, as the creature is not talking to you, but you are receiving sensory information by observing it…

Note your imagined answers – write them down, contemplate how they affect you.

 

This provocation is about leaving a message for others to find. It is a bit longer – up to you how long you want to spend.

So… can you find a species or object who has something to say, or perhaps you want to say something in dialogue with it? Go for a walk and encounter something. Choose your medium – ideally of natural materials yet weatherproof. So, a painted stone, a luggage label tied to a stick, a subvertised road sign… have a play and enjoy.

Inspiration: There’s a craze where I live to paint stones and put them somewhere for others to find or swap. It’s a delightful practice, an anonymous message found in place. Another inspiration is a piece of sound art I experience lately, where hidden speakers animated some beings and objects in a park. There was a tree that gurgled, slurped and belched, perhaps as it drew up some root water. My young son was delighted and we recall this talking tree often. Other inspirations are those personal dedications found on benches and pavements.