© Konstantin Dimopoulos, The Blue Trees: Trees En Masse, Vancouver Biennale 2011: City of Richmond, Photo by: Clayton Perry Photography
The Blue Trees, a socially-driven art action, was created and conceived by Australian artist Konstantin Dimopoulos to inspire awareness and discussion about global deforestation. For the project’s Northwest debut, trees in Seattle’s Westlake Park and along the Burke-Gilman Trail in Kenmore are being temporarily transformed using environmentally safe, water-based pigment. An ephemeral work, they will gradually revert from the striking ultramarine blue back to their natural state.
Participate
Staring April 2nd, the artist and community volunteers will transform 16 existing Honey Locust trees at Westlake Park in downtown Seattle and 40 newly planted Jacquemontii Birch trees along the Burke-Gilman Trail near NE Bothell Way and 80th Ave NE in Kenmore, which will enhance the trail and remain as a legacy for the community. Update: Thank you for an enthusiastic response to our call for volunteers. We are all set!
Why Blue Trees?
Every year the planet loses some 32 million acres of forests, trees which by transforming carbon dioxide into oxygen, literally help sustain life. Deforestation contributes to climate change. Trees breathe for the planet and without them, appropriate conditions for human, animal and plant life may not be sustained.
“Through my work I am striving to address global issues and provide a visual platform to effect change. So many universal concerns seem larger than an individual’s power of influence and I want to evoke in people the idea that we can all contribute to change in a positive way.” - Konstantin Dimopoulos
Color is a powerful stimulant, a means of altering perception and defining space and time. Blue is a color that is not naturally identified with trees and suggests that something unusual, something out of the ordinary is happening. In nature, color is used both as a means of protection and as a mechanism to attract. The Blue Trees is an attempt to elicit a similar response from viewers and inspire conversation and action around deforestation issues.
Update: Read a post by Dimopoulos on his process and thinking.
Questions? Read the FAQ document.
The Blue Trees is being produced by 4Culture, the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, the City of Seattle’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, and Seattle Parks and Recreation with additional support from SODO Builders, Courtyard Marriott Hotel, Curator PR, and a generous private donor.
13 comments
Judith van Praag says:
Mar 21, 2012
This makes me think of Blues Before Sunrise, a project by Steve McQueen in the Vondelpark in Amsterdam. The dressing up of trees is a good thing, I loved seeing the sweater clad trees at the park where Third and Fourth Avenues in Seattle converge. Paint? Luckily it’s harmless for the environment, and I like this blue and the way it makes people notice the trees more than when they are just naturally beautiful.
Tina4Culture says:
Apr 2, 2012
Judith, thanks for this reflection. If you are out in the sunshine today and downtown, go see the crew applying colorant to the trees there. A beautiful day for this work!
Liz McGowan says:
Apr 5, 2012
What a beautiful and inspiring way to raise awareness of deforestation! I would very much like to know more about the water based pigment you have used. Perhaps this action could spread to the UK ……
Tina4Culture says:
Apr 5, 2012
Liz, here is the statement on colorant we have from the artist along with the information that Parks staff for the city and county reviewed its makeup and approved its use: “The ultramarine blue color used by Konstantin Dimopoulos for The Blue Trees is biologically and environmentally safe. It is a water-based colorant, not paint, and does not contain chemical binding agents or azurite. Rather, it is a manmade pigment roughly equivalent to the ancient blue stone. It was specifically developed for the project and has been utilized in multiple installations without causing damage to the trees or the surrounding environment.” A recent article in the Seattle Times identified the pigment as azurite; this is incorrect – azurite contains copper which can be harmful to the environment. Prior to agreeing to proceed with the project in our region, the specific contents were reviewed and approved by City of Seattle Parks and King County Parks arborists and environmental specialists.
Bill Baker says:
Apr 6, 2012
Already done two years ago in Richmond, BC. Are there other sites?
Tina4Culture says:
Apr 8, 2012
Here is the link to the artist’s website with photographs of other installations.
Michael Schramm says:
Apr 19, 2012
When I first saw the trees in Kenmore I thought it odd, but it has really grown on me. Now that I’ve read the artist’s concept, I understand. In a way, I see a kind of atonement by Kenmore for removal of some large fir trees during reconstruction of SR 522 a couple of years ago. Is the formula for the colorant available? Would the artist permit the use of it in neighborhood gardens as a form of homage (immitation being the best form of flattery)?
BTW, the link to The Blue Trees video doesn’t work. Is there an updated link?
Tina4Culture says:
Apr 19, 2012
The artist developed the formula for the colorant which he has not shared with the public, seeing it as prorprietary. You may contact the artist through his website http://www.kondimopoulos.com/ about the video and other questions you may have. The Blue Trees is an original ephemeral artwork, and while many an artwork has been copied, and many an artwork has been created in homage, we would advocate for allowing The Blue Trees to stand on its own in this time and place. It’s terrific that living with this artwork has changed your view of it over time, and that you have been able to make unique connections to its meaning and presence. Thanks so much for your comments.
KathyK says:
May 16, 2012
This is a complete waste of money in these harsh economic times. All you have to do is read the Northshore School District’s website to realize this money could have been put to much better use. The Seattle times said the cost of the project was $24,000.
KathyK says:
May 16, 2012
Here is a link to the school districts website discussing the continued cuts that need to be made next year, following 4 years of significant cuts. When my kids can expect a reasonable class size, then I will be able to turn a blind eye to non-permanent art installations that cost an appalling amount. Our communities can not afford to splurge on these types of items when the quality of our children’s education is being cut year after year.
http://www.nsd.org/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=83659&&&cms_mode=view
Scroll to the bottom and click on “Messages from the Superintendent”
4Culture says:
May 17, 2012
The Blue Trees project was supported by 4Culture in Kenmore along the Burke-Gilman Trail and by the City of Seattle in Westlake Park. Varying amounts of funding was spent by the City and 4Culture with its partner King County Department of Natural Resources. In addition to % for art dollars, in-kind support and donated funding was garnered and many volunteers participated in the coloring of the trees. Along the Burke-Gilman Trail in Kenmore the project leaves a legacy of 40 Jacquemontii Birch trees in a site that was slated for landscaping. The project created a buffer for the trail from the street, involved the community in its creation and has been supported by its neighborhood. All of these are positive and successful attributes of this project for its community. You are understandably frustrated by diminished funding for education in the region; public art funding collected from capital improvement projects, legislated by ordinance and implemented through County government and 4Culture, is not transferable to other civic uses, important and pressing as they may be. We are engaged in arts and heritage education at 4Culture and know well the need in the state for a bolstered education system. Thanks for your feedback.
The Art of the Long Walk | Donna Miscolta | Seattle Washington State Filipina Mexican Latina Writer says:
Aug 2, 2012
[...] experiences were within the familiar realm of visual, performing, and literary arts. There were the blue trees we passed on the Burke-Gilman Trail in Kenmore, part of Australian artist Konstantin Dimopoulos’s [...]
Rachel Fischer says:
Oct 17, 2012
What type of paint do you use thats not bad for the eniviorment?