Decentralised Artworlds!
Education & Research
The Treaty of Finsbury Park 2025

Our research LARPs explore and test the local and global consequences of advanced technologies for human and more-than-human interests.

The Treaty of Finsbury Park 2025 is a 5 year event series played from more-than-human perspectives for the blooming of a bountiful biodiversity and interspecies political action.

The Interspecies Festival of Finsbury Park 2023 by Furtherfield. Photograph by Furtherfield

The Scenario

If colonial systems of dominance and control over living beings continue we all face an apocalypse. All the species of the park have risen up to demand equal rights with humans. A treaty will be drawn up, designating these rights, but first humans must learn to better relate to non-humans so they can cooperate better together. Thankfully there has been a new invention – The Sentience Dial – which allows humans to tune into all the flora and fauna of Finsbury Park. 

The Game

The Treaty of Finsbury Park 2025 is a collaborative project that depicts the story of the dawning of interspecies democracy. It’s a new era of equal rights for all living beings, where all species come together to organise and shape the environments and cultures they inhabit, in Finsbury Park (and urban green spaces across the UK, the world, and beyond!) Like many urban parks, Finsbury Park is fraught with environmental issues from noxious gasses and traffic noises to governance struggles and financial sustainability.

The Interspecies Festival of Finsbury Park 2023 by Furtherfield. Photograph by Furtherfield

The Treaty of Finsbury Park 2025 is played from more-than-human perspectives. Players act as Mentor Species of the Park and help change the way we all see and participate in our local urban green spaces forever. There are 3 parts to the story

  • Part 1 – 2022 The Assemblies Games – online assemblies to plan the Interspecies Festival of Finsbury Park 2023 – an event to celebrate the drawing up of the treaty itself.
  • Part 2 – 2023 The Interspecies Festival of Finsbury Park for ALL the species of Finsbury Park – As the songs of lament, celebration and protest finish their last chorus it is time to decide together with our new Mentor Species what should go into the Interspecies Treaty of Finsbury Park.
  • Part 3- 2024 The collaboratively written Treaty promotes the priorities and feelings of all species and is displayed with Festival highlights. Park lovers sign and pledge action for bountiful biodiversity!

Characters

For the Assemblies and Festivals humans tune into all flora and fauna of the park. A recent invention – The Sentience Dial – matches humans to the species mentor they are most naturally aligned with and allows them to move and speak as that species and represent them in the games. Based on extensive research and with the help of local experts including Finsbury Park’s own Park Ranger, Ricard Zanoli, 7 Finsbury Park species were identified that could represent the wider biodiversity of the park. They are The Dogs, The Stag Beetles, The Bees, The Canada Geese, The Grass, The Squirrels, and The London Plane Trees.

Players

Some of the Players of The Treaty of Finsbury Park 2024

People join this immersive role-play, exploring the park in fantastical new ways as one of the Mentor Species of Finsbury Park….Transforming into another species with new eyes, ears and totally new priorities. Both the Assemblies and the Festival events are suitable for mixed groups of 20-30 players. Festivals are suitable for ALL human people over the age of 9 and mixed age groups seem to flourish especially. Valuable to play in all Treaty games are people with a desire to strengthen their connection to the lives of their local green spaces, growers, migrants and refugees, community organisers, environmental activists, artists, local government workers, natural and social ecosystems researchers, policy-makers, ethical business, and corporate social responsibility.

The Interspecies Festival of Finsbury Park 2023 Film by Tracy Kiryango

What players say 

“When I was talking with the trees [as a dog], even though I was talking using my words, I had a sense that I was talking from a part of myself that was less human to a different part of themselves as trees. They were calm beings, and I felt “less wise”.” Interspecies Festival participant

“I feel differently about the park now. The old forest part was new to me. Beautiful with a sense of intimacy and a spirit that made me want to linger there. I also felt I could experience the park from a different, less human perspective, feeling more at one with the other trees, especially the planes.”

“It really made me think about the impact humans have on the park environment”

“ I’m more aware of the different environments within the park and of the relationship between different species”

Outputs

Credits

Co-Authored by Ruth Catlow and Charlotte Frost
Based on an original concept by Ruth Catlow and Cade Diem
Artistic Direction Ruth Catlow
LARP design and hosting Ruth Catlow with Bea Xu and Max Dovey
Research Dr Lara Houston and Dr Ann Light
Illustration Sajan Rai
Digital marketing and communications Charlotte Frost
Festival activity programme design by participants of The Interspecies Assemblies 2022
Multispecies Choir leader Xenia Davis
Multispecies Movement consultant Lucy Suggate
Multispecies Costume consultant Kat Addis
Outreach, Care and Accessibility Manager Lekey Leideker
Access Angels MyPlace Finsbury Park with Alesha, Emily, Jason, and Nuria

Songs
Music by Matt Catlow
Lament lyrics by Ruth Catlow
Protest lyrics by Ruth Catlow
Celebration lyrics by Max Dovey
All songs inspired by The Interspecies Assemblies 2022

Videography Tracy Kiryango
Visual design for Treaty of Finsbury Park Cade Diem
Special Thanks to Eileen Egerton, Kate Genevieve, Ricard Zanoli and ALL our amazing players!