MELANIE WHELAN

The Mountain that moved
The ecologist Aldo Leopold believed that when making environmental decisions we should 'Think like a Mountain'. The idea behind his philosophy was simple. He urged us to think of the ecosystem from the soil up. What is good for the Mountain is good for the whole ecosystem, including us. But do we think like a Mountain? Do we ever ask the Mountain if the Mountain is happy? If we did, what would the Mountain say? This story, 'The Mountain that moved' is told from the point of view of a lonely Mountain. The Mountain decides to try being an Island for a while which leads to chaos in the City below.
This space where humans and the Land meet has been at the core of my research over the last two years. My work inspires the audience to think beyond the page, to wonder about the natural world and start to ask questions. And ultimately to want to experience this world for themselves.