RECOVERING
THE LOST WORDS
A Photographic Exhibit
by David Cook
Heron
Nature Language is
Being Removed
The Oxford Junior Dictionary is a learning tool for children ages 7+ years that defines 10,000 words the publisher deems most popular in childhood conversation. In recent years, nature words like acorn, buttercup, heron, and wren were removed to make room for technology words like analogue, chatroom, and voicemail.
Photographer David Cook curates a vibrant and thought-provoking exhibit that highlights the wild, living world being stolen from future generations. Featuring works by Jennifer Leigh Warner, Katy Pye, Mary Lundeberg, and Martha Ture, the exhibit draws attention to what we stand to lose.
Raven - REMOVED
Buttercup - REMOVED
Poppy - REMOVED
Wren - REMOVED
"If you can remove words from a dictionary that are so alive with meaning and withhold them from our children, removing what is alive in the world becomes easy... The wild is no longer part of our vocabulary; nature becomes a forgotten language."
- Terry Tempest-Williams, The Hour of Land (2016)
Visit Westcave to see the full exhibit
To learn more about “The Lost Words”, visit David Cook’s Website
Additional literature and resources to help adults and children connect to nature can be found on David Cook’s website.