Mandarin tree, San Gaetano, Sicily
I tend to imbue trees with a certain amount of personality. Trees can be warm and friendly or stand-offish and cold. Trees play an important part in my personal history. I’ve even been known to talk to trees (maybe this explains why I am so drawn to photographing trees instead of, say, people), but not in a crazy way, I promise. I can’t help but think that there are others out there like me.
I’ve been thinking that I’d like to tell a story about the emotional connection people have with trees. The idea has been rattling around in my head for a little while, but with my recent participation in collect.give (specifically how I came to choose the charity that I did), it became clear that it could be a fun and worthwhile project.
To tell this story, I am looking for submissions of a photo or illustration and short essay/poem/story/song lyrics (anywhere from just a few sentences to a few paragraphs) about a tree that you feel particularly connected to. The visual component is very important, which is why I am reaching out to artists first, but I will be opening submissions up to the general public once the project gets going.
Please let me know if you would be interested in joining this project and I’ll send you more details. And please spread the word, whether through Facebook, Twitter, or on your own blog.
Hello Dalton,
it is really nice to read how you relate to trees. Recognition. I have a special tree. It is an oak in The Netherlands. He was the neighbour of two limetrees, 232 years old, that were blown over by a storm. As an artist I used the two giants for an art project in education called the Nature Access Network. Schools will look for an old tree to connect with, and a big Limetree Disk in the school is their reminder. The oak remained, and I 'asked' him if it would be allright for him so serve as the center of the Network. Concentrating on the tree, the feeling I got was a happy feeling, so I thought it would be OK. It is my favourite tree.
I put some photo's on my Flickr Account:flickr.com/wdwrd, under 'Oom Orakelboom'.
One of my art projects that may interest you is connecting old trees through Google Maps. Where mankind makes roads cutting through their old root network, I try to reconnect them through Google Maps. And where in early days roots could not connect through seas, we can now connect trees over the world. Would you be able to connect one of your favourite trees? You can find the maps on my website, wdwrd.com.
Hope to hear from you,
Jos Bregman
wdwrd.com
Netherlands
hi, i'd like to join your tree group on flickr. Could you include me?~ I love trees.. I am a tree fanatic and li love how you speak to them! I have been known to take ONLY pics of trees when i go to new cities… while in Africa, I had a teenager say :"We are all Trees". She spoke of our relationship to growth… so poetic… smile ~ Thanks for the connection. I see I am not crazy after all.. ( lol)