“The theme of Tending the Light was initially challenging. I was trying to incorporate visuals like the Jinibara fire ceremony, the candles for the three minutes’ silence, the festival lanterns, and sunlight driving photosynthesis in the context of Forest Woodfordia” said artist-in-residence Gavin Ryan. 

In a time shaped by environmental uncertainty, social division and global instability, Tending the Light invites audiences and artists to consider how culture can sustain resilience. It asks how we nurture creativity, community, knowledge and our environment so that light endures despite surrounding darkness. How do we continue to listen, hear and engage with each other in an increasingly divisive world? What do we owe to each other, to the planet and to our fellow inhabitants. 

“Amanda wanted shafts of sunlight coming down through the foliage, and we tried various ideas, but it wasn’t until we remembered Costa’s comment from Bill Hauritz’s wake, about a giant tree falling in the forest and creating a gap in the canopy allowing new growth to flourish, that I felt we had the big idea to bring all the rest of it together.” 

“The 3D approach is insanely technical and challenging to learn but perseverance brings big rewards. The whole poster scene is set up like a massive stage with thousands of individual objects and lights. The trickiest part was getting the shafts of light and the shadow patterns to fall exactly where I wanted them. I started working on ideas in February and have put countless hours into it since then. It’s been through many iterations and changes of direction to get where it is now.” 

The Woodford Folk Festival programme launch is announced on Saturday 17^th October ’26, at a gala event hosted on the 500 acre festival site. Spanning six days and six nights, Woodford’s diverse programme includes 450+ acts, 25 venues and 1600 performances. 

Check out our fly-through video of one small section of this magical forest: