Immediate Response
The first thing that catches the eye is the shear size of the sculpture. It’s incredibly tall and has a huge square base. The precision of the edges stands out. The tree seems to be the most attention drawing aspect of the sculpture however there are so many art pieces done of trees and pieces of nature. This brings you to look at the base. Why such a large base for an object normally sculpted with no base?
Objective Despription
This piece is comprised of a scraggly tree upon a massive dirt base. The base is square and at the top the corners are cut fairly sharp. However, as the base nears the ground it thickens and piles at the bottom; taking away the sharpness of the corners. The sculpture is just over 27 feet tall and nearly 17 feet wide on each side of the base. The sculpture was formed with Olive Tree, earth, water, wood, metal and plastic. The exhibit is placed in the corner of a museum with white walls and a gold ceiling. There is nothing near the sculpture. It is set aside by itself with no descriptive signs or posters near it.
Technical Decisions
The Work in the World
This piece takes a very ordinary object and puts a very different spin on it. Most people in the world see many trees everyday and look past them without a second glance. However, when people see trees they do not think about the base and how the tree is supported. Trees are vital to life. They give us oxygen to breath, boards to build, logs to burn for heat and sometimes even food to eat. Cutting this tree out of the environment with the dirt with it allows us to take a step back and look at it for how important it is.
The Story it Tells
A tree is fed by its root system. A tree is often over twice as big underground as it is above ground. We rarely see what is underground. A tree cannot survive without its roots and therefor it is unrealistic to display it that way. Just as people cannot thrive without things to motivate themselves and push themselves for greatness. These things can be things such as religion, family and friends, a desire to do good, money and fame or a combination of them. Just as it is unrealistic for us to look a tree separated from its roots it is also unrealistic to look at people and the world for only their actions and external appearance as if they had no roots.