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Keith Armstrong on collaborating with forests

Keith Armstrong on collaborating with forests

What does it mean to make art for a forest—not just about it? Keith Armstrong explores this question through his long-term project Forest Art Intelligence, which blends ecological recovery with creative experimentation.

Forest Art Intelligence is a project that regenerates a cleared block of land into a native forest. Developed in partnership with the Samford Ecological Research Facility (SERF) and the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), the project will be supported in 2024 through an ANAT Synapse Residency.

Keith’s work challenges how we engage with ecological systems—inviting participation, reflection, and action.

Listen to this podcast to learn about:

  • Creating artworks that support environmental recovery by providing habitat and enhancing ecological systems.
  • Using analogue materials—like logs, soil, and fungi—together with digital tools such as LIDAR and acoustic sensors to interact with a living site.
  • Why long-term, site-specific engagement matters—and how repeated visits shape an artist’s way of observing and responding to place.

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Chapters

  • (00:00:00) Introduction and acknowledgements
  • (00:00:56) Welcome and project overview
  • (00:02:09) Forest art intelligence explained
  • (00:03:27) Art intelligence and environmental regeneration
  • (00:07:35) Scientific collaboration and data collection
  • (00:08:21) Gardening vs. regeneration
  • (00:20:51) Collaborating with nature
  • (00:26:46) Advice for creatives
  • (00:28:31) Conclusion and wrap-up

About Keith Armstrong 

Keith Armstrong is an artist whose practice is grounded in ecological and social inquiry. He creates participatory, site-specific and technologically embedded works that ask how art can become a tool for rethinking our relationship with the environment and systems. He has led and created more than sixty major art and research-based projects. His work has been supported by fellowships from Creative Australia, the Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT), and the Synapse Art-Science Residency program.

Key takeaways from this interview with Keith Armstrong

The forest as the artwork

“The regrowth of the forest—that in itself is the artwork.”

Keith frames the regenerating forest not as the subject of the artwork, but as the artwork itself. This reframes art-making as ecological participation rather than representation, positioning the creative act within real-world environmental change.

Art that participates, not extracts

Rather than making art about ecological processes, Keith creates works that materially contribute to them. For example, he introduced a large fallen tree limb into the site to serve as habitat and accelerate decomposition—actively supporting the forest’s recovery.

Audience response and discovery

“We’ve now got ourselves a stop on the trail.”

The project is now part of the Samford Ecological Research Facility’s science trail, where visitors encounter ecological monitoring and restoration projects. The installation invites audiences to witness the forest’s regeneration process in situ, blending scientific observation with creative intervention.

Collaboration

“We’re just slowly meandering together.”

Keith describes the collaborative process with ecologists, land managers and other researchers as slow, evolving and non-goal-driven. This long-term partnership fosters shared decision-making and mutual learning across disciplines.

Slowing down and being present

“For the first time in my life, I’ve been able to go back to one place and watch it change.”

Keith reflects on how sustained visits to the same site have deepened his attention. The project encourages an embodied, analogue mode of observation that contrasts with fast-paced, product-driven approaches to both art and science.

Responsive practice shaped by the site

“When a rare bird was found… it was time to change the project and actually respect what’s actually happening.”

When a rare button quail was discovered living on the site, Keith and his collaborators changed their regeneration plans to protect its grassland habitat. By adapting their approach, they put the needs of the ecosystem first.

Analogue approaches in a digital world

“Digital systems subsample the world—but nature is 100% analogue.”

Keith critiques the limitations of digital technologies in fully capturing ecological complexity. His process increasingly favours analogue methods and materials that align with the forest’s rhythms and intelligences.

Advice

“I’m probably much more interested in work that does something rather than say something about.”

Keith encourages artists working with ecological systems to focus on action and impact. Rather than making symbolic gestures, he advocates for practices that materially contribute to ecological processes and foster long-term care

Links from this podcast with Keith Armstrong

Posted 03-05-2025