INTERVIEW OF AMALIE Existence, Q&A 27th September 2017 by Hrefna
Amalie Harris Barfod is a Kaospilot alumni from Team 22. Her passion and care for nature inspired her final project, Rewild Studio, which came to life in November 2017. ReWild studio is a platform that connects people in urban settings to nature through art installations, products and workshops.
As a child, Amalie spent a lot of time outdoors with her family, going hiking or spending time at their summer house in Sweden. “My siblings and I were always given the opportunity to be in nature and explore it” Amalie says, “nature was our playmate”. Her exposure to nature throughout her life formed the values she has brought into Rewild studio.
“I believe that empathy is something I have practiced throughout my whole life through the guidance of my parents and other mentors.” Amalie says, “I learned that my actions matter and have an impact on my environment, whether it being people or nature.” Her passion for connecting with nature sparked her wanting to create a platform for others to do the same. “The idea is for people to interact with nature, for their own well being and for the sake of nature’s well being.”
Source of energy
Amalie finds the connection between people and nature especially important because of the fast paced lifestyle of today’s modern world. “We all want to be happy and to live a calm and peaceful life but as a consequence many people suffer from stress.” With reWild Studio, Amalie wants to offer a sustainable solution towards a more calm and reflective lifestyle. She finds that by becoming more relaxed people will have more energy for meaningful moments in life, like time spent with loved ones.
We all need to take a step back and breathe and the perfect place to do that is with nature.
One of the reasons we are not as connected to nature as we once were, Amalie finds, is because we don’t follow the natural processes and understand how they work like we did as hunters, farmers and gatherers. “I think it’s very important to be connected to these processes in order to understand nature better.” She says, “Developing this kind of empathic mindset is really what Rewild Studio is about. It begins with understanding“
Amalie wants to emphasis that humans are a part of nature and not separated from it. “We share some of the same DNA with plants and If all plants on earth would die, we wouldn’t exist either.” She says this thought is very far away from some people. “Therefore this idea of connecting people with nature is very important in order for us to survive and thrive at the same time.” She says, “We need to see that we are not differentiated from nature but very much interconnected.”
In her personal life, Amalie finds peace and inspiration when in nature. Presence in the now and spending energy on things she finds meaningful is important to Amalie and being in nature helps her with that. “At times when I have felt stressed and needed a mental break, nature has been my source of energy.” She continues, “When I am in nature I feel more energetic, light and calm.” She says, “I get to release a lot of thoughts and just breathe.”
When I am in nature, I get to release a lot of thoughts and just breathe.
The beauty of nature and wisdom it holds is what drives Amalie. ”I think really appreciating how nature gives us life is crucial for us in order to develop empathy for nature” she says, “and I believe that we need to be surrounded by it to really feel that.”
Amalie incorporates sustainability into her work by creating awareness and showing how people can have an empathetic mindset towards nature. She finds it important to crate sustainability in how she works as a human being as well. “ I need to be present in order to work optimally.” Amalie says, “in order to have a sustainable business, I need to be sustainable myself.”
Amalie is currently developing a new product for reWild studio as well as hosting workshops, working on an art installation and launching the reWild Magazine.“ She says that Kaospilot helped her explore her values and dreams and act on them. “The idea is to ask yourself why you love to do the things you do” she continues, “this is the starting point if you really want to create something that you care about and want to contribute with in this world.”
Article by Hrefna