Yes its finally coming together
Albeit very slowly, but I’m getting there.
Today – only two days before I leave for South Africa, on a trip home to see family and friends and make some new work, I got all the bureaucracy and logistics in line to take out 8 dead street trees.
After months of calling the Manhattan parks department and leaving messages, trying to get hold of the right person, I landed the dear Norman, who graciously took me around the upper east side helping me find the right size dead trees for the permanent installation: A memorial to Street Trees Ill be installing in August at Pratt Manhattan on 14th street. Yes we will be having an opening. Ill let you know
So I hired a truck, bought a chainsaw, rallied up two willing friends ( anyone will do a small job for a 100 bucks) and got to work removing the trees. We got a permit for removal, hired an approved Arborist and cleaned the site at each tree, threw them in the back of the truck and took them to the studio to dry for two months while I’m away in South Africa and figure out the next leg of the project- cutting the trees in half length ways, very nicely. Let me know if you have any tips.
It was a good days work. Went for beers afterwards too. 2 for 1 at Maggie Browns if your interested!
Albeit very slowly, but I’m getting there.
Today – only two days before I leave for South Africa, on a trip home to see family and friends and make some new work, I got all the bureaucracy and logistics in line to take out 8 dead street trees.
After months of calling the Manhattan parks department and leaving messages, trying to get hold of the right person, I landed the dear Norman, who graciously took me around the upper east side helping me find the right size dead trees for the permanent installation: A memorial to Street Trees Ill be installing in August at Pratt Manhattan on 14th street. Yes we will be having an opening. Ill let you know
So I hired a truck, bought a chainsaw, rallied up two willing friends ( anyone will do a small job for a 100 bucks) and got to work removing the trees. We got a permit for removal, hired an approved Arborist and cleaned the site at each tree, threw them in the back of the truck and took them to the studio to dry for two months while I’m away in South Africa and figure out the next leg of the project- cutting the trees in half length ways, very nicely. Let me know if you have any tips.
It was a good days work. Went for beers afterwards too. 2 for 1 at Maggie Browns if your interested!
{ 9 } Comments
you’re so cool
Um, so I got to ask the hippy question. Did you plant anything where you dug the trees out? Or are you planning to? Cause I think a dead tree on the pavement is better than no tree so you need to replace it else I think the gapping fat hole in the paving kind of undermines your beautiful and ethereal statement in a gallery space else where.
Hippy question- not really- but it is a good question. Being the city of New York dead street trees usually arent left on the streets for very long. They fall on people and cars, and are also a fire hazard amongst other things. Dead trees also attract parasites which could compromise the health of other trees. These tree pits that I have removed trees from will now be marked for stump removal. After this the tree pits will be allocated for planting which will more than likely occur in the next planting season, next spring- so eventually yes more trees will be planted. But just so you know, you can request a free tree from the parks dept online, and the waiting list is about 2 years long. There isnt much money for trees in New York so things take a little longer. The longterm aim of this project is rather to make use of the trees that would otherwise be chipped and incinerated to actually create awareness and advocate the planting of trees in such a city. You have to bring the Mountain to Mohammad sometimes.
Sounds like an interesting project. I’m amazed that there are so many dead trees (well more than 3 at any one time) for you to harvest.
But then new york is a big city.
I like the idea that they could be a fire hazard. I’m imagining these great flaming torch trees instead of street lighting.
Do you suppose in Jo’burg we just don’t plant that many street trees or is it just that people chop them down for fire wood if they are dry enough?
There’s a guy on the border of Kensington and Troyeville who is on this personal mission to plant trees on this little green space of muncipal land but people keep digging them up and stealing them. Not sure of the figures but its something like more than 20 trees that have been stolen.
Yes its pretty amazing once you start looking at the numbers- here they take out about 5-6000 street trees every year. they plant in excess of 10 000 each season and because of the city having such harsh winter and summer conditions some of the trees just dont make it. But Joburg is even more interesting with regards to trees: Its actually one of the largest man made forests in Africa and has far more trees than New York- wood was used in the mining industry for props and making tunnels, so when the mining boom began, they just planted like mad. Then the steel industry thrived and they no longer required wood for mines-it also became a huge fire hazard. You dont want anything that burns inside your mine.
Hmm nice image of the flaming trees there. Im not suprised about that guy having his trees stolen-they are hot property and get resold to home owners in other areas. They are also expensive to purchase and often property deveolpers have been known to commission people to obtain trees. Like the way PG Glass smash your car windows you know!
Ha! paranoia such a beautiful Jo’burg quality so glad we could convert you from that nice tranquil Capetonian attitude in what 2 years?
I’m pretty sure that people steal trees for property developers but I’m not sure about the PG glass thing. Pretty sure that, that MoFu on my corner that does smash and grabs isn’t working for them, (can you believe I know him by sight cause he tried it on me and I saw him do it to some other poor woman and he’s still lurking on many a day!)
But I know property developers jack those palm trees(you know the kind they model cell phone aerials on) or they even advertise to buy them from people and they don’t transplant well so you have these fancy Tuscan style villas with two dead sticks flanking the gate.
Excellent, I think I just had an idea for an art work #9totally unrelated or is it? hmmm).
Well cool man good luck with the project sounds very interesting. Any more works on the New York rats? We rats really need some good press. Tee hee! I discovered recently that if you Google my name you get two entries about me and then you get something about rat-tailed maggots infesting the water system in Cape Town! Gotta work harder on my profile.
Its the rats actually that got me onto the trees- long story though. Ill be in jozi on thursday. yes jozi is better than cape town.
as an avid planter around the trees on my street Ive developed a bit of a love affair with them – turning those trees that didnt make it into an art show really appeals to me – sounds cool – do you have a date for your work yet?
Hi there Chris.
I dont have a firm date yet, but it should be some time in mid august that the installation will open. We hope to arrange a formal opening with the school and get some press on this, but keep an eye on the site as i will post something closer to the time when we have set a date. Thanks for your interest.
Sean
{ 1 } Trackback
[...] I believe Sean put together this, some would say minimalist, exhibition with Jill Ross in about a week. Simple, elegant etchings with sensitive economical marks and a crisp, tactile installation of taught twine. Can’t say if the trees illustrated on some of the etchings are dead or not, but it does strike me that the medium – paper – is of course the stuff of dead trees. [...]
Post a Comment