beaforshall

The slender-billed curlew, one of the wonders of my travelling life, has been declared almost certainly extinct. This beautiful and mysterious creature migrated between Siberia and the Mediterranean, linking lives, lands and times in ways that only birds can. The Royal Geographical Society commissioned me to follow its trail, to meet eye-witnesses to its fate and to find out what its story has to tell us. The result is this book, exquisitely illustrated by @beaforshall and published by the majestic Adrian and Gracie Cooper and Jon Woolcott @littletollerdorset . You will not be expecting what you will find on this extraordinary journey - which turned into a report on the best of us, of people who fight to save habitats and species, who show how very much individuals can do, and the astonishing difference that determination, passion and resistance can make. You may have been feeling, as I have recently, that darkness has gathered a terrible strength, that the world's days break with more fear than hope, that much of humanity is in the hands of a few evil men, cheered on by misguided, deceived and willing victims. This is exactly why stories like the tale of the slender-billed curlew matter. I did not expect to find the very best of us on this journey, but it is here. If we can only see it, it is in every journey. So this is a salute, a prayer and a dispatch from a world that is truly much brighter than it may seem now. The slender-billed curlew may become a ghost, a myth, barely a memory - but its messages are startling and unmistakeable. The paper published today puts the chance of extinction at 99.6%; it was done with statistical analysis, and if that was all you knew of the story it would seem yet another reason to despair. But get on Greek buses and Bulgarian trains, sleep in Romanian stations, hitch lifts to the Danube delta, and something astounding happens: you see worlds and meet people who prove beyond doubt that our good is greater than our ill, and our spirit unconquerable. This Earth is still infinitely beautiful, so rich, so strange and so utterly worth it - worth everything, worth all the love and worth all the struggle.

Thank you @5x15stories for making me apart of last month’s talks at the tabernacle; celebrating 15 years of 5 x 15. Speakers included @doctoroxford @charlotte_philby @spiegelhalter459 @jayrayner1 The talk is now available on https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QWq5WwhL2fw - Link in bio #5x15stories #talks #london #thebookofvanishingspecies

The Book of Vanishing Species exhibition at the wonderful @kneppwildingkitchen. #knepp #kneppwildland #wildingkitchen #thebookofvanishingspecies #storks #sussex

Storks @kneppwildingkitchen - on paper, out of wood and flying high above their first home in Britain for over six centuries. This is the last day of the exhibition of engravings from The Book of Vanishing Species and a collection inspired by Knepp @kneppwildingkitchen. Thank you Knepp. #storks #knepp #kneppwildland #wildingkitchen #thebookofvanishingspecies #exhibition #sussex #paperjunglestudio

Exhibition of engravings @kneppwilding . A big thank you to Paddy and Geoff for helping me to set it up and to the team @kneppwildingkitchen for hosting such a wonderful supper. 10 % of the proceeds of sales will go towards the important work @kneppwildlandfdn #engraving #thebookofvanishingspecies #kneppwildland #exhibition #wildingkitchen #sussex #wildlandfoundation #storks

Bea Forshall Exhibition at Knepp Wilding Shop Bea Forshall’s exhibition is on display in the Wilding Shop until the end of the month, with 10% of proceeds supporting the Knepp Foundation. Her work beautifully celebrates the natural world, using drypoint engraving and hand-finishing techniques to create unique pieces. Inspired by conservation, Bea’s art reflects her profound connection to the environment. This exhibition is a wonderful opportunity to explore her intricate prints, featuring Knepp’s iconic species, and connect with the stories that inspire them. #BeaForshall #WildlifeArt #NatureInspired #ConservationArt #KneppWilding #ArtExhibition #DrypointEngraving #WildlifeConservation #SupportTheArts #EcoArt #KneppFoundation #ArtForNature #UniqueArt #BritishArtists #ArtCommunity #SustainableArt #EndangeredSpecies #WildingShop #ExhibitionOpening #SupportLocalArtists @beaforshall

Author and artist Beatrice Forshall joins us for a talk and exhibition of her stunning wildlife prints tomorrow, Thursday 3 October. ‘The Book of Vanishing Species’ - described as “a love letter to life on Earth” - will be at the heart of her talk. Introduced by Isabella Tree, @beaforshall will also discuss her work with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and her time spent as artist-in-residence at the David Attenborough Building. “This wonderful book, with Beatrice Forshall’s superb engravings, reminds us of the wonder and beauty of species that may disappear forever unless we take action to save them” @janegoodallinst Tickets include a welcome glass of bubbly and three-course dinner. Bea will be signing books at the event, which will be available for purchase. Her prints are available to buy now @kneppwildingkitchen shop, until the end of October. Last few tickets available to book using link in bio. 📸 Video by Temujin Doran @studiocanoe

Editioning of prints for an exhibition @kneppwildingkitchen, which opens tomorrow evening. Works will include engravings from The Book of Vanishing Species & storks inspired by those which have returned to Britain, thanks to @kneppwilding ‘s wonderful work. #exhibition #kneppwildland #wildingkitchen #sussex #talk #thebookofvanishingspecies #storks

Red-Crowned Crane at The British Art Fair, @SaatchiGallery with @Eames Fine Art. #redcrownedcrane #engraving #thebookofvanishingspecies #eamesfineartgallery #exhibition #thebritishartfair2024 #saatchigallery

#authortalk #exhibition #thebookofvanishingspecies #knepp #kneppwildland #wildingkitchen #sussex

White Stork This engraving will be part of an exhibition which opens next Thursday, 3rd October @kneppwildingkitchen . #whitestork #engraving #knepp #kneppwildingkitchen #exhibtion #authortalk

At 7pm this evening, at the Grosvenor Arms, Shaftsbury, I will be giving a talk with @foldedorset , this year’s South West Independent bookshop of the year. It would be lovely to see you there. #talk #foldedorset #bookshop #shaftesbury #dorset #booktalk #thebookofvanishingspecies