Forest Spirit – Artist Talk and Participatory Event @ Chateau d’Orquevaux, July 2026

“Forest Spirit” in the Enchanted Forest – Artist Talk and Participatory Event: Friday, July 3rd at 2 PM
Location: Enchanted Forest, Chateau d’Orquevaux, France
More information: Artist Residency at Chateau d’Orquevaux France

Judith Modrak presenting the Forest Spirit installation to participants in the Enchanted Forest at Château d’Orquevaux.
“Forest Spirit” is a homage to our Terra Mater during her time of crisis and a reflection on organic cycles of life, death, and renewal. The artwork is sculpted from foliage found on the grounds of the Chateau d’Orquevaux and will gracefully decompose back into the same soil which gave birth to it.
Participants gathered in the Enchanted Forest at Château d’Orquevaux during Judith Modrak’s Forest Spirit participatory event.
During participatory events, the Chateau d’Orquevaux community entered the Enchanted Forest and attached small branch tokens to one of over 50 braided tendrils flowing from the sculpture’s crown. Participants endowed the tokens with wishes for a more environmentally sustainable and benevolent future for all organisms.
Forest Spirit installation by Judith Modrak, made from branches and suspended natural materials beneath a tree in the Enchanted Forest.
Detail of Judith Modrak’s Forest Spirit installation showing cut branches, moss, lichen, and red-painted wood ends.
The outdoor installation acts as a modern offering to Mother Earth in much the same way totemic figures served to protect communities and ward off evil spirits in times past, connecting us emotionally to one another and to nature.
Forest Spirit installation beside a woodland path in the Enchanted Forest at Château d’Orquevaux, France.
“Forest Spirit” was created by Judith Modrak as a Visiting Artist at the magical Chateau d’Orquevaux in France in June – July of 2026. The work is an ephemeral one. It will exist in the memories of those who encountered it and ultimately leave no physical footprint.