Charli Clark

Cairn for Silence


When I think of the forest, the trees and the nature that has been removed to create space for modern humanity I feel ghosts of the former environment surrounding me.


Finland was once completely covered in forest, and although a lot still remains, in the cities and the countryside, I wanted to capture the essence of the forest and transport in into the man-made urban areas of Helsinki

Originally I wanted to record the sounds of the forest and replay them loud and clear in our modern built up environment as a echo from a previous time, a previous existence. 
Pasila was the chosen sight for this work.


On entering the forest at Lammassaari; audio recorder in hand, I noticed the opposite of what I was expecting and wanting to hear. I had the audio recorder on maximum at 26 decibels to pick up all the sound I could; the rustle of the leaves or a distant bird perhaps?

To my initial surprise, all I could hear was the roar of the traffic, the bellow of motorcycles and car engines and the hustle and bustle of the city close by. I felt overwhelmed by noise and saddened at the lost of silence at this heightened level of sound sensitivity.

What does a fox, a bird or a tree hear?

My whole perception of the 'natural, wild space' within the city changed. It seemed the city was encroaching on this peaceful space, in a way I would normally be unaware of. I know longer saw a wildlife haven; something was missing. It now seems just a fragment of a former time and glimpse into what it was once was like to be within a forest. This strengthened my resolve to create a monument for the trees; to mourn the lost calm, stillness and soundless nature of the forest. 

To mourn the lost of silence.

A Pine at Nuuksio that stood out within the Birch trees (left) and Cairn for silence (right)

I found a clearing in the trees, a spot where I felt something was missing. To mark this space I created a Cairn from the fallen twigs and sticks nearby. Cairns are normally piles of rock or stone that mark a significant point within a landscape. They may mark the top of a mountain, a pathway for a hiker, a place of loss or a place of celebration.

Although I originally planned to place my Cairn at Pasila, on hearing the heightened city sound engulfing my forest experience, I felt it more relevant and respectful to the surrounding nature to build the Cairn in this opening, to highlight the lost of peace I had discovered right there that day.

Take only photos, leave only footprints.




Once the Cairn was build I hid the audio recorder within the structure. The viewer is invited to interact with the sculpture but adding a stick, as hikers would add stones to a traditional Cairn to help counter act erosion. The viewer is also invited to listen to the audio recorder through headphones coming from the structure.






The sound that the viewer is listening to is live and is not pre-recorded. When I was walking through the forest trying to record 'nature' or 'the natural' sound I became very aware of my sound and my affect within the forest. I felt it was important that my audience experience exactly what I had experienced, noticing not only the loud hum of the city but also themselves in the space.



During the week I had been reading the book Active Hope by Johanna Macy.
I felt particularly connected to the thoughts and feelings that were described and discussed within it.

The idea that we should instill positive thought through actively training our brain to think in the positive was of interest to me. Here is a exercise to do everyday courtesy of Johanna.

A exercise to do daily to express gratitude.

Think of something that happened in the last 24 hours that you are thankful for.

Think of the way you felt at that moment, what smells did you smell, what did you body feel like, did you taste anything? How did it affect you?

Think of who or what contributed to that moment and be thankful to it or them for helping this moment happen.

If you do this exercise regularly you will be training your brain to think about the positive events in your life and will be able to deal with problems better in the future.

Active Hope reminded me of the importance of showing gratitude. It is important to give thanks, create memorials and to allow space and time to thank the Earth for all it giving us. For me, this Cairn is a thank you to the Earth, in particular to the trees that give us the oxygen we breathe, helping to carefully regulate the air.

Whilst developing Cairn for Silence I experimented with another found material and created a nest with Christina and her family from left over tree cuttings in the fruit park. Inspired by the pile of freshly cut branches and Christina eager children we set about to make a giant nest type structure to surround us.








Surprisingly it was still there this Saturday evening...

Foraging was another element of this course that emphasized the gifts of nature. All around us were offerings of food from nature, from the wild. Whilst walking in Nuuksio the group dynamic strengthened and our understanding of the forest increased. The mushrooms we collectively picked were carefully checked, cleaned and chopped together with carrots, potato and onions to produced a marvelous soup for us to share.




ole hyvä






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