The artist Sarah Pimenta. who lives in West Sussex, southeast England, did her Global Earth Exchange this year for the space next to her house where a tree once stood—until it was cut down, so the neighbor could widen their driveway. This story reminds us of the interconnectedness of loss, that when one tree is destroyed, so much more goes missing as well: a home for the birds, a place for plants to take root… and a source of delight for at least one human. Here is Sarah’s story:

I am lucky to live in a small town that is very green and surrounded by woods and forests in every direction. In recent years more and more of the surrounding countryside is being eroded to make way for new housing developments which change the views of trees to views of rooftops.

As well as building large housing estates that are eroding the countryside—since the pandemic in particular—many people are also building on their own homes, gardens and green spaces are being replaced with extra structures, gardens being replaced with concrete for ease or to provide driveways for more cars—each small space a loss for the birds, animals, insects, and plants that grew or lived there.

Nearby there was a beautiful tree that was home to many birds, I used to love listening to them sing and chatter whilst I worked indoors with the window open. The neighbour removed the tree to create a drive for another car and whilst birds still fly and sing nearby, it’s not the same without the chattering flock that perched in the tree. Due to necessary building work—a lawn nearby is now bare ground, cement dust stopping the growth of grass and plants—my act of beauty was an ode to the birds in the trees and the plants that grew on the now bare ground.

It felt right to make a RadJoy bird for those that no longer live nearby, made from leaves from the plants that border the barren area and to create it whilst walking barefoot on the hard earth where once there was soft grass.

This is small personal offering this year, but it is a metaphor for all the bigger devastations of land that are happening in the surrounding areas.

Note: After our July 27 edition, Radical Joy Revealed will be taking a summer break in August and will be back September 7.