Billede

Betula pendula No. 1, 2014.

Exhibited at Kunsthal Aarhus and Kunsthal NORD

The Forest interprets a small forest patch close to the military shooting grounds in Hevring, Denmark. Here, deep inside the tranquil forest, the trees bear witness to the brutality of war and the splendor of nature. Here, one finds a beautiful sound stage for the voices of birds, the humming of insects and the rustling of leaves. All of which, in an instant, is drowned out by the shouts of soldiers and the blaring sound of projectiles. Projectiles that sometimes only brush the leaves of the outermost branches, but other times, tear off branches, leaving open wounds in the bark. Projectiles that sometimes drill deep into the heartwood of the tree resulting in its death. The fallen trunk gives life to insects, animals and plants, but most often, the tree lives on, and grows as the seasons pass, a little more crippled than before. Springtime offers new life to shoots, and the tree grows on with the story of war tattooed on its surface.