The Last Willow
Birthe Leemeijer

An old Salix alba, a life long truncated, has gotten a shape that strongly reminds me of the human body. Cutting its sputs every few years over a long period of time makes it seem to burst at the seams. Winding and turning it tries to get rid of all its force in slow motion. Decades of growing and trimming have given it its own personality in the shape of a drawn stem and bark. 

In the IJssel valley meetings will take place in company of old willows. Two people will talk to each other about the landscape and their relationship with the surroundings. The backgrounds of the invited interlocutors are divers, different forms of knowledge meet each other. Young and old, local and from afar. 

I would like to invite you to sign up for a meeting at the last willow, at the end of this summer when many words have been spoken.