music and arts

Enchanting Forest - Sussex

Two years ago during lockdown founder Nicoleta Carpineanu started working on a project called Enchanting Forest here in Sussex with David Alexander Yeoman, who sadly passed away in 2022. It was a project inspired by the sounds of the wet woodland habitat near Ebernoe Nature reserve. 

Thanks to recent funding, FWF will be developing this project which explores the relationship between the individual, community and the forest, combining old English folklore (including storytelling, poetry and songs) with electronic music and a canvas of forest soundscapes. 

FWF will be collaborating with a diverse range of multigenerational Sussex-based artists and communities as well as producing some of the songs that David/Keys composed for the project. In this way his legacy will continue. The first single “Lady of the Forest” by David Alexander Yeoman is out now.

Proceeds from the resulting album will go to fund reforestation, rewilding and/or environmental education and arts projects in East Sussex via Forests Without Frontiers. 

Partners include

Wilderlands, where we are extending hedgerows and creating a forest garden adjacent to ancient woodland as part of Weald to Waves’ efforts to create a network of contiguous habitat across a currently fragmented landscape, and where we will record for Enchanting Forest.

Childrens Forest who will form part of an intergenerational choir led by Sophia Efthimiou, recording songs in nature.

Sussex Wildlife Trust who will facilitate our “leave no trace” access to sensitive nature sites for further recording & filming sessions, in particular at Ebernoe & the Kelp Forests, as well as the ecologically important site of Kingley Vale.

We will be working closely with Professor Alice Eldrige from the University of Sussex who will help create the Sussex nature soundcape, as well as advisors Dr Chris Sandom and Professor Margaretta Jolly.

Sussex-based artists who have confirmed participation include Nico de Transilvania, Jules Dickens, Andrew Stuart-Buttle, Alice Russell, Emma Critchley, Murray Ballard, David Bramwell, Stefanos Andreas, Niall Hollaert and Elle Osborne, as well as musicians from New Note orchestra which supports those affected by addiction and homelessness through music and dance.