Home > Our Projects > Exploring Futures of Care > Soft Fascination
A photo of a stack of zines with the title Soft Fascination on the front cover. And the words Soft Fascination is a gentle collaboration beween the contributing artists and You. Bringing the forest to you
Soft Fascination by Selina Thompson Ltd and People United

Soft Fascination

A concept created collaboratively with Selina Thompson Ltd as part of our Futures of Care programme, involving three local artists who shared their experience of forest bathing and its benefits with individuals who cannot easily access nature and its wider context for wellbeing.
Share this
I have issues with my hands but I’m able to feel the textures and listen to the poem. I’m so thankful. It’s very different. Soft Fascination participant

Drawing on the Japanese practice of forest bathing, this project was a collaboration  between People United, Selina Thompson Ltd and three local artists Nova Marshall, Neelam Saredia-Brayley and Helen Seymour. Together we created an immersive forest bathing kit, designed to bring nature to people who rarely or never leave their homes.

Taking inspiration from a forest bathing session in Blean Woods near Canterbury, the artists produced bespoke handcrafted items to stimulate the senses, including moss, bark, fern ink, scented oil, a feather, a ceramic bird, a poem (with a link to a calming soundtrack), two small ceramic dishes for the oil and ink, and a pair of forest glasses, layered with shades of green and brown.

Our producer, Mandy Quy-Verlander worked in partnership with a number of organisations to share the package with recipients on a two to one basis (she is always accompanied by somebody known to the recipient, such as a support worker or befriender).

Responses to this gift of wellbeing have been warm and positive, and feedback is informing how we collaboratively take this project forward and develop it further.

Hi I just wanted to thank you for the lovely box you dropped off! I have [had] lots of fun with it, the bird warbler is wonderful, Sophie my daughter thinks we should go round wearing green glasses all the time, life looks a lot better in green glasses. Soft Fascination participant
A photo of an older lady with white hair receiving and opening one of the forest bathing boxes. She is looking at the contents of the box and smiling.
Soft Fascination by Selina Thompson Ltd and People United
A photo of one of the Soft Fascination 'forest bathing' kits. A cardboard box adorned with leaf stickers.
Soft Fascination forest bathing box
Handmade forest glasses by Helen Seymour
A photo of the soft fascination zine front cover, with a small bottle of rosemary oil, a small tube of natural green ink and a feather lying on top.
Soft Fascination by Selina Thompson Ltd and People United
A community warden delivering one of the forest bathing boxes. She is blonde with a pony tail and is wearing a white and green smart uniform.
Soft Fascination by Selina Thompson Ltd and People United
A photo of an older lady with white hair trying on the forest glasses from her forest bathing box. She is smiling.
Soft Fascination by Selina Thompson Ltd and People United
A photo of Mandy from People United kneeling on the floor in front of an older man with white hair. He is sitting in an armchair and has the forest bathing glasses on.
Soft Fascination by Selina Thompson Ltd and People United
A photo of an older man with white hair wearing the forest bathing glasses. He has a blue shirt and braces on and his arms folded across his chest.
Soft Fascination by Selina Thompson Ltd and People United
[Pam] was especially pleased with the Bird and it is sitting on her mantelpiece. It was an absolute delight to watch her get stuck into the box. She felt thought about and enjoyed the conversation we had unpacking each forest item. Charlotte, Community Warden

Soft Fascination zine – included as part of the Forest Bathing kits.

Commissioned by

People United

Funded by

Creative Estuary
Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants