They took all the trees, put ‘em in a tree museum. And they charge the people a dollar and a half just to see ‘em….
I went to see an art exhibit today at the Calhoon Museum in Falmouth, Massachusetts… and ended up focused on something outside the window, instead of inside the museum. And like Joni Mitchell’s lyric above, it was about trees and museums, but not trees in the museum, trees outside the museum, and the trees were painted an unearthly blue so that you really could “see ‘em”, and maybe in a different way.
Here's an example of what I actually saw:
What was that about? Why are these trees all an electric royal blue color? Then I saw this sign:
The artist, Melbourne, Australia-based Konstantin Dimopoulos, says this about the tree project (actually a program):
As a conceptual and installation artist I create artworks that are grounded in my sociological and humanist philosophies. In my environmental art installation, The Blue Trees, the colour and the Tree come together to transform and affect each other; the colour changing the Tree into something surreal, while the Tree, rooted in this earth reflects what we may lose. This change highlights ecological issues, such as the ecocide of our forests and climate change, and effects a transformation in the psyche of people by raising our social consciousness referencing how individually and collectively we shape the world we inhabit. The Blue Trees has a strong regenerative aspect to it, an organic work that is continually changing and evolving. From season to season the trees grow through the cycles of nature and the colors begin to change and disappear. Time passing is a part of the concept; time that determines our own existence is measured through these trees.
Perhaps the best way to learn about this is with this charming video:
This got me thinking about communications. What an interesting way to communicate a message! Not an email or a text, or an advert, but a community-based display that gets attention and engagement. I'm not suggesting that if your project has some issues you should paint all the trees in your town amber. I'm just thinking that we can think outside the box a little bit when we need to convey a message and take some inspiration from The Blue Trees. And of course, we should pay attention to the message that Dimopolous is sending!
After seeing the video, what are your thoughts about this program*? Are you inspired to improve your own messaging?
*I call it a program because each city ‘engagement’ is a slightly-different implementation of the art project – it has been done in many cities around the world.
Oh. And for those of you who don’t know the Joni Mitchell (or Counting Crows) reference, have a look at this:
Learn more about the Blue Tree program at these links:
The art of conversation and communication... what a great concept, thank you for sharing
Laurie HumphreyProject Manager| Creative WindowsAnn Arbor, Mi, United States
Love the creativity. In a field where the day-to-day is more about logistics, I really appreciate when the projects call on both the left and right sides of the brain.
