about
random selection
community
if a tree falls...
trace evidence
it’s time to go people
urban logger
observation + view
splitting image
constructed images
installation
KNOCK
chair
public vs private
scans of the month
what’s mine is yours
material research
break the mould
cable ties limits
finding functions
music
butch kassidy visuals
T.E.L.F.O
mono aware
circuit bending
publications
image essay
collange
insta orange
knock
magical moments
archive
sketches
masks
drfit trike
copyright:IrisRijskamp
"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”
- a philosophical question regarding observation and perception.
In London alone, 6,000 trees are felled prematurely each year. They are chipped and sent away as fuel, or even into landfill, in order to remove them as ‘efficiently’ as possible.
Currently, urban trees are not utilised or celebrated after they fall simply because cities lack the infrastructure to process them for economic benefit, and timber supply chains are not structured around urban wood.
Throughout their life, these trees have had a significant role in the urban ecosystem and community. They are just as valuable once they’ve fallen as they are when they’re standing. To chip and remove these trees denies their potential to live on and play a role in a community’s collective experience and memory.
In nature, the falling of a tree initiates a new stage in its life cycle, as multiple organisms gather to break it down into smaller parts, enabling it to return to the ecosystem it once thrived in. “If a tree falls…” is a reflection of this process in the urban landscape, through craftspeople and makers reshaping the tree into tangible artefacts.
In order to do this, a ‘roots-up’ approach is taken by creating localised community processing systems, where residents are encouraged to interact with the material on-site through workshops and demonstrations. Every part of the tree should be utilised, and is an opportunity for a new lifecycle within the urban ecosystem; whether that’s the trunk becoming chair legs, the branches becoming spoons, or the bark being used as natural dye. These products allow the story of the tree to continue, strengthening our connection and awareness of ecological interbeing, and promoting a sense of value and responsibility for urban nature.
If a tree falls in a city and people are around to celebrate it, the tree lives on…
Over the 6 month period I was able to process the bark from 7 fallen trees…
1. Lime tree from Woburn Deer park thanks to Nick Milner
2. Oak from Woburn Deer Park thanks to Nick Milner
3. Lime from Nunhead cemetery thanks to @timnunhead
4. Beech from Bedford Park in Essex thanks to @knivesfoxspoons
5. Tibetan cherry from East Hale Allotments in Tottenham Hale
5. Willow from Tottenham Lock
6. Sweet chestnut from Herstmonceux Castle Estate, East Sussex thanks to @mikeinthewood
7. Damson from Nunhead Cemetery thanks to @timnunhead
And there’s plenty more trees out there which can be processed rather than going to landfill or being burnt!
find out more at: https://ifatreefalls.cargo.site/