Bunker by G-Brecht. © York Art Gallery

Damp leaves and twigs cracking underfoot, mossy air and dappled light – the magic of the forest is under the spotlight at York Art Gallery until September 4, 2005.

The touring exhibition, Forest, includes photography, painting, video, sculpture, sound and installations by artists all trying to capture the mystical experience of forests and woodland.

The artists, who number Turner Prize nominee Anya Gallaccio and G- Brecht among them, take the forest as life-giver, symbol of national pride and place of isolation and refuge. The human relationship with forest is also examined, especially how we devour timber to the point of devastating deforestation.

Drift by Dalziel and Scullion. © York Art Gallery

The display takes visitors on a scenic journey, through painting and photography, from the small-scale, like Samantha Clark’s fairy-inspired Unconfirmed Sightings, to the grand.

Ken Parsons' Wax Dome installation is a three-metre-high prehistoric forest that immerses visitors in intricate light and colour like stained glass. It was inspired by Britain’s carboniferous forests of 300 million years ago, where huge tree ferns, club mosses and giant horsetails dominated the lush vegetation.

It is that ancient forest, trapped and compressed, that forms the fossil fuels we use today. The wax used by the artist is an oil product itself.

“Kids love it and adults love it,” said Ken Parsons of the installation. “A lot of people like to lie on the ground and look up at ‘the sky’.”

Mother with young from Unconfirmed Sightings, Samantha Clark. © York Art Gallery

The exhibition is sponsored by the Forestry Commission (FC). “We’re about to unveil our first ever blueprint for the future of woodlands in Yorkshire,” said Mick Hoban, FC regional development manager. “This show is a timely and evocative reminder of why trees are so inspirational. We’re delighted to give it our backing.”

Mariele Neudecker, recently featured at Tate St Ives, provides the sculpture Morning Fog in the Mountains and Dan Hays, famous for his depictions of hamsters and cages, the painting Colorado Impression. The painting is a reproduction of an electronic image posted on a website by the British artist’s namesake in Colorado.

A programme of children’s activities will run alongside the exhibition, on August 6 and September 3. Contact the gallery for more information. The exhibition is touring from Wolverhampton.