My Lonely Tree. 183 x 152 cm lightjet print & video

during berlin artweek @ FAHRBEREITSCHAFT / haubrok foundation

opening @ black flamingo:
September 12 2017 | 7-9pm

artweek special
September 15 2017 | 7–9pm
September 16 2017 | 12–6pm
September 17 2017 | 12–6pm

“I have fallen in love with a tree in the middle of a giant parking lot in front of the Rose Bowl.

The tree was starved for water and oxygen due to the asphalt that surrounds it (there was a rather small tree pit). The stress from the lack of water and oxygen led to an increase of a variety of pests: anthracnose fungus, lace bugs, powdery mildew… The tree was also in grave danger from the cars that liked to park near it to benefit from its shade. Cars had hit and damaged the trunk, but the cambium had not yet been pierced and the tree still lived. But, it did not live an easy life.

I could not tolerate the outrageous insults that the beautiful tree was forced to endure. So, I decided to adopt the tree and devote myself to improving its life: watering the tree with giant water bags; installing tree guards to protect the tree from cars; and adorning the tree with giant earrings…

I spent many months lobbying the City and the Rose Bowl to remove the asphalt beneath the canopy of the tree, so that the tree would get more of the water and oxygen that it desperately needs. In September 2006, the Rose Bowl removed 400 square feet of asphalt beneath the tree and replaced it with mulch.

On July 30, 2007, the Rose Bowl placed a permanent boulder barrier around the tree. These boulders protect the tree from cars and provide seating for people to contemplate the beauty of the tree.

The tree had no chance to reproduce on its own, and there was no place for its seeds to grow in the sea of asphalt that surrounds it. This upset me greatly, and I decided to help the tree reproduce.

On February 16, 2007, the first tree baby appeared! Soon, after that there were 200 tree babies growing under the wonderful care of the Theodore Payne Foundation.

I am thrilled that many amazing people have adopted the tree babies. They are caring for them so that they will have easier and greener lives than their parent.

Many of the tree babies have been planted in public locations as public art sculptures. Plaques from the tree museum have been placed next to the tree babies in many of the public locations.

Check out the → interactive tree museum
And check out the → interactive tree baby maps to see where many of the tree babies are growing

In front of the USC Roski School of Art, a tree baby was adorned by a necklace consisting of sculptures made by students in response to the plight of urban trees and/or environmental renewal. Similar installations have taken place at Walden Elementary School, the Audubon Middle School, and the Walteria Elementary School.
In the Central Arroyo Seco Valley, the City of Pasadena, the Arroyo Seco Foundation, and a group of volunteers planted 17 tree babies – a grove of tree babies extremely close to the parent tree!

I would like to thank Darryl Dunn and Jess Waiters from the Rose Bowl; Steve Madison, Taka Suzuki, and Sid Tyler from the City of Pasadena; Lauri Firstenberg, Bettina Korek, Kris Lewis, and Sarah Williams from LAXART and For Your Art; the Theodore Payne Foundation; Susanne Vielmetter; Stephan Adamski; Liz Rubin; Sue Yank; Germaine Chang; Alison Goldberg; as well as many other important tree lovers, especially all of the tree baby parents.”
Joel Tauber

cited from → joeltauber.com | courtesy the artist, adamsky gallery and haubrok collection

video duration 32m22s . 2010. Sound

*
exhibitions at the same time @ FAHRBEREITSCHAFT:
haubrok foundation → la>x exhibition
margaret honda, stephen prina, christopher williams
∗
open studios by the participating artists residing at FAHRBEREITSCHAFT
yosuke amemiya, bilderrahmen neumann, cogalleries – robin resch, mario fischer, hpht.space, k. verlag / anexact, office, marit neeb, sally osborn / gloria zein, claus rottenbacher, roman soroko, sabine springer, syracuse university: adrianna bianchi, rebecca forstadter, jeremy tarr, d’angelo williams
∗
black flamingo @ FAHRBEREITSCHAFT, Herzbergstr.40-43, 10365 Berlin