forest dens

In a time when children seem more connected to the virtual world than the natural one, with some even going as far as suggesting our i-gen children are suffering from nature deficit disorder, the dens in Alice Holt Forest tell a different story. These wooden structures, sculpted from forest trees and fallen branches, are made, destroyed and re-made by children and families visiting the forest. They are traces of a creative rewilding of children in nature.

I have been photographing these transient spaces since 2016 but I rarely catch people in the act of building the dens. I prefer to photograph the aftermath when the forest is quiet.