Babette Robertson
Fallen tree #33
2021
oil on board
87 x 117cm
Courtesy the artist
'Every fallen tree is an ongoing project recording fallen trees by collecting each one's GPS location and taking a pressing of clay against its surface.
'The clay registers the texture of the tree's bark and contours of my hand. Pressings fuse physical traces of both human and tree, pointing to our indivisible and interdependent presence in the land.
'They contrast the GPS points which represent fixed cartographic positions essential for the mapping and extraction of natural resources. I have begun painting each tree as an act of reverence.
'This is #11. My intention is to record and paint 7,000 trees in homage to Joseph Beuys work 7,000 Oaks.'