Festival Trees

The trunks of three selected trees on the Campus of the University of Guelph are being wrapped in bright red rope to a height of about three meters. The idea of wrapping trees is based upon a common horticultural technique practiced widely in China where it is used there as a method of protecting newly transplanted trees.

While the Chinese normally use plain hemp rope to protect the trees, in this sculpture the red colour of the rope is symbolic of good luck for the New Year. The temporary duration of the sculpture is part of the plan, while the resulting environmental art installation will cause the viewer to question his or her perception.

What am I seeing? Why has this been done? What does it mean?

The purpose of the sculpture is to raise awareness and initiate discussion. It is intended as an adaptation of a common Chinese horticultural practice into a symbol of celebration. The rope enhances the tree's natural form and creates a dramatic abstract aesthetic and texture.

In order to further explore cultural perception with this work I have
sought out Chinese Artists to collaborate on a series of visual
interpretations of the Festival Trees installation and artwork. The purpose of this collaboration was not to make the work politically correct’ or even more sensitive to traditional Chinese festival expressions, but to further explore the idea of cultural interpretation, a synthesis of dichotomous ideas and philosophies.

I recently travelled to China to complete the internship portion of my
course in Landscape Architecture at the University of Guelph. The aesthetics of wrapped trees was my first of many encounters with the different cultural practices of China. There, it was something so normal and common, yet I found it remarkable and unique. If culture shock is seeing and learning a new cultural perspective, then the consequence of this experience must be the understanding of one's own culture in the light of these new ideas.

In this sense, "Festival Trees" explores the concept of reverse-culture
shock, as a contemporary Canadian expression of an ancient Chinese
celebration.

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