On Arbor Day, April 29th, a group of artists in Brooklyn placed some “bling” vanity necklaces around 50 or more trees, on Bedford Ave,from N4th-N10th St. The project is called Carbon Based Forms and is and attempt to get city folk to acknowledge the surrounding natural elements. Trees are a necessary and vital component in any community, especially cities. Im not a born and raised city kid. I grew up with a great appreciation for nature, living amongst it, in the Hudson Valley. So this project struck a chord with me.
In corresponding with the artists they reminded me of an observation, found in a recent issue of Adbusters; “kids can immediately identify 50 different brand logos, but not 5 different types of trees.”
I firmly believe that it is that kind of disconnection to natural living creatures that provides humyns with the mental capability to destroy various forms of life on the planet. There is hardly an outcry when mountaintops are blown off in Appalachia, old-growth forests clear-cut, and even in urban settings, waterfront and open spaces “developed.” Do we expect these things to regenerate? Mother nature has an amazing potential to heal, but how can she when the most influential creatures on the planet aren’t even aware of other species?
It may not save the rainforest, but it’s inspiring to see folks engage pedestrians with the most apparent forms we come into contact on the street! The artists are asking folks to sponsor a tree, I imagine to support their endeavors with this project.