A Radical Manifesto from the Branches. Fifteen years in the making – a crowd-funder delivers more than a decade late!

Art of Climbing Trees (A.C.T.), is a work of art; a beautifully illustrated, genre-bending book; a hybrid of travel diary, visual art project, and ecological and political manifesto.

This striking debut chronicles Dahle’s immersive year-long journey: climbing one tree per day while inviting over 80 “co-climbers” to join him in exploring nature, civilisation, resistance, and belonging.

From a Scots pine at the holocaust memorial in Berlin, to Trafalgar Square’s Christmas tree before it was felled in the forest encircling Oslo, to unexpected canopies across 10 countries in Europe.

Interviewees included the late economist David Fleming, founders of environmental organisations Rob Hopkins, and the late Erik Dammann, Norwegian Green party politician Hanna Marcussen, a band touring Europe by bike, an ex-gangster, a woman in need of a heart transplant, 44 people at once (including an 8 month pregnant woman), professors, activists, artists, and the author’s whole family!

Art of Climbing Trees is a call to reimagine the world with pragmatic cynicism, and hope; a book for any aspiring Eutopian.

The 464 page coffee table book blends:

• Personal reflections, field notes, story-telling, poetry, and humour
• Original artwork and photography
• Philosophical conversations in trees
• Research and commentary on the economy, climate, biodiversity, democracy, and connection, including a 35 page manifesto for an achievable Eutopia.

About the author

Henrik G. Dahle is a multidisciplinary British/Norwegian artist, performer, activist, and carpenter. The 48 year old from Southampton, UK, and Lillehammer, Norway, has dedicated his practices to the environment, and a peaceful transition. He made a bus his home – freeing time to finish his book. The decision to climb trees every day for a year was made on a whim, and in his own words, ‘The trees nearly ruined my life, as well as remaking it’.

In 2013, Dahle ran a crowd-funder for A.C.T., appearing in many UK national newspapers, the aim of delivering books that year = wildly over-optimistic. The project took 15 years to complete, and delivered 12 years late for crowd-funders! The publication of A.C.T. is also a story of dedication to keeping a promise.

_‘What a miracle of book! What a work of art and thought! What a wonderful, beautiful, engaging project! Makes me think, makes me feel, makes me hope! What a generous gift to us all!’ _

– Gro Dahle (no relation), award winning author of Angry Man

Available from: artofclimbingtrees.net