12/07/2023
Lost (again) in the woods in Germany 🌲
The intention of this year’s IAC was to rethink (or think-through, as Haraway would have it) the damaging, separated and performed relationship between ‘us’ (humankind) and them (nature in its widest sense). Such struggles are at the heart of what we do, and are inscribed in our history – from British protest and direct action over bolting practices in rock-climbing, to ski resort development and snow management. More widely, of course, are the discourses on the awkward relationships between consumption, capitalism and the planet. How much does a hamburger really cost and who pays?
The discussions were therefore urged to follow ideas around the magic and wonder in nature, humans as nature, and the material issues of being human in nature on a planet we see fit to exploit for the gains of very few of its members (human or otherwise). Over the days of the conference, as we wandered through forests and slow-moving rivers, we paused, a lot, to consider the we – and the questions about how best to travel and be, as a ‘we’ which is inclusive, caring, and careful.
As Emily Höckert began the event, magic was clearly inscribed as she usefully framed how at the University of Lapland colleagues were considering tourism studies as a conversation amongst more than human-beings and material entities and how this plays out. Later we were treated to an insight into the very clear ways in which even the best-intended presences in nature adjust its balance and dynamic, as Manuel Steinbauer presented his long-standing and fascinating work and methods – a kind of science of being with, encouraging us to think-through our presences and the heaviness of adventure tourism. In and around these, we enjoyed Christo Foerster and other delegates' tales of being-with, and the powerful experiences afforded us when alone in the forest, in kayaks or other ‘elsewheres’. Many times, there was talk of older relationships to land and sea and environment, often citing Ingold, Bennet, Van der Post or Macfarlane and the powerful, often beyond-language impressions generated. Therefore it was fitting that Dr David A.G. Clarke closed the event with a superb piece invoking ideas of animism, continuity and a sense of being part of the ongoing process of the world, neatly rounding off a powerful few days in a quiet forest, which felt like the ushering-in of a paradigm shift in the adventure tourism field – although one which had its seeds sewn long ago.
The University of Applied Management and Adventure Campus staged this event perfectly, allowing the conversations to go on throughout the night in many cases, with a fabulous meal served by candlelight in the ruined walls of a castle, and music drink and discourse on others at the adventure campus. The food and was delicious, local and plentiful, and the students and staff delivering the events faultlessly helpful and patient.
Link to the gallery https://atra.global/gallery-iac2023/
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Hochschule für angewandtes Management - HAM
Adventure Campus
