A conversation on living with the experience of motor neurone disease, exploring themes of accompaniment, sharing, communication and support when diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Inspired by the ground-breaking research of ecologist Suzanne Simard, the reflective narrative is set to images of forest and fungi ecosystems: an interconnected 'biological neural network' of reciprocity, adaptability and transformation.

Continuing a series of films centred on rare health conditions, and the links between social and ecological healthcare, the documentary is a companion work to the artist's short film The Entangled Forest. Sourced largely from the same edited footage and sequences seen in The Entangled Forest, the voiceover is a conversation between a narrative therapist and a counsellor who lost her partner to motor neurone disease. The reflective and intimate narrative finds common threads and parallels with Simard’s research into the life-sustaining reciprocal relationships and natural interactions found in forest ecosystems.

Voices: Judy Rathbone & Mariangels Ferrer-Duch
Commissioned by The University of Manchester, Division of Psychology & Mental Health
Supported by UK Research & Innovation

A film by Nick Jordan

Original music by Otis Jordan & Lord Mongo

Screened as part of solo exhibition Natural Interaction, Feb 18 - June 4, 2023, HOME, Manchester