Paul Chaney website: http://www.paulchaney.co.uk/
Interesting snippet form page about his current work at Goonhilly Earth Centre, Cornwall…

I’ve never considered that of course the land that is left and therefor available for communities and people in need is the waste land and ruined land that has been destroyed for some other reason and cast out of value, ie the dregs of land.

Kestle Barton (http://www.kestlebarton.co.uk/) the small art space near Helford Passage in Cornwall does a good job at covering interesting and needed subjects through art and bringing people together for discussion and learning! Which is the direction I hope contemporary art goes; not just down here in the Celtic country but up country and in Urban areas also.
This series of talks and events led by experts in the field of low impact development have been happening throughout July but I’ve only just heard about them, so I’ll go to the last one on Sunday.

Really positive that these talks will inform people about the legal side of development and the realistic side of how we can push this movement for the better of the natural world and wellbeing of society – this sort of thing needs to be repeated throughout art centres and in schools and businesses everywhere – good idea to set something like this up – pushing adult forest school kind of stuff – the direction art is heading towards community development and engagement and so on.

What is the Steward Wood phenomena then?

By the look of things they are going through some issues with land ownership similar to the issues Native American and Canadian groups constant face and are battling with. The authorities and government have and continue to totally screw over Natives and demolish their rights to acres and acres of forests that have been their homes and place of worship for thousands of years long before colonialism.

Obviously there are huge differences and it is highly problematic to liken Native Americans and Canadians with this story of Steward Wood but what is similar is the forever discarded kindness and possible symbiosis of humans living very closely to nature. It seems this argument and belief is never heard, valued or seen as a worthy cause.

People who have found a way of living beside and with nature, found their groove and want to maintain and improve that relationship that is more sustainable and hopefully not harmful for the environment. An example and one of the first of this kind of movement – setting an example for the rest of us.

“misunderstood intentions and ideologies”

“sociopolitical conditions leading to the formation of precarious intensional communities under the conditions of late capitalism”

“Nimbyism” ??????

What is “grassroots social practice”?

– Movements from the ground up, starting at the ‘bottom of society’ hence the roots idea.

I think it would be good for us all to attend such talks with such dense reasoning and honesty for the benefit of simply understanding. Knowledge gives way to change.