Mamakan

How can you grow roots, if you never eat from the soil?My lifelong journey of discovery began in Aarhus, Denmark. Born into a long line of Nordic people known for their sense of exploration and curiosity, I identify with the ancient female Scandinavian Vølve (Volva) traditions. My tribal ancestors are Kimbri and Frisii on my father's side, and Daner on my mother's side.Today, I work as a forest farmer and botanical artist at Velskov, a native New Zealand forest farm after years of moving from Denmark to Brazil, Belgium, Hong Kong, Italy, France, and Singapore.What's a forest farmer?In New Zealand, there is an intense competition for land use. The four major contenders are pastoral farming, pine plantations, urban development, and native forests. Native forests tend to lose out for economic reasons and mainstream social belief systems. My dream is to see more native forests, not less!Here in Auckland, we are setting up an experiment; what if a healthy native forest with a high level of biodiversity could generate a reasonable income from foraging, educational farm visits, and native produce sales? That would be a win-win for the environment, the landowner, the local community, and our future generations. That's the vision for our native forest farm. So, I’m a forest farmer.In the future, I believe that many more native forest farms will be popping up all over the country creating prosperity and jobs for local communities. Local food brands and restaurants will celebrate native forest produce in harmony with our changing seasons.Businesses will arrange meetings at the 'Bush Boardroom' and harvest the benefits of working in nature. Tourists will taste native trees in the award-winning 'Kawakawa Burgers'. And the children of Aotearoa New Zealand will grow up knowing how healthy, beautiful, and delicious our native forests are.My botanical art practice can best be described as 'GastroGeography' - the taste of a place.Mamkan Studio installations are known for their experiential and sensorial qualities, immersing the audience into living the story using visuals, touch, sounds, and scent.Botanical art is a powerful reminder of our local heritage and connection to nature through plants. Contemporary botanical art creates sensorial experiences for the audience to lower stress, connect with the land and regrow their roots.