PROJECT 2023 For ‘On Loss and Damage’
What a Young Oak Tree Sees in 200 Years
Nature is vulnerable.
Rethink of Loss and Damage,
Reconnect with nature and us, human.
Nature is resilient.
And yet nature is vulnerable.
These two artworks, in the forms of 2D & 3D, are about a story of a young oak tree which sees its surrounded life after 200 years from now on.
As we have seen the drastic climate change in the recent past years, there are a lot of things we lost and damaged. The things we lost will never come back. The things we damaged might retain scurs but perhaps, I do hope, survive the damage, if our action against the climate change works in time. This is my pray and hope for the future.
Oak (pedunculate oak) is a native tree in the UK. Prior to create these artworks, I have walked at the Cliff Top, where Alfred Sisley once visited and painted his beautiful landscape over 100 years ago. A few oak trees in one of his paintings grew old, and yet still stand there now. I have walked along the Salmon-Leap trail, where I saw a stunning blue kingfisher, busy with catching food in the clear water.
Biodiversity of wildlife is complex and delicate. Once it loses the balance, it tries to rebalance. However, if the change is too huge, it struggles to do it. This is what we see now. Besides, each biodiversity is connected next each other on our planet.
A thought came in my mind, what a young oak tree might see our local landscape after 200 years. It must grow mature, but not that old. Oaks have longevity around well above 300-400 years, perhaps 700 years. I hope the landscape will not change a lot, but much more species in our local wildlife. I would like to believe in the strength of nature.
Size: 80w x 104h cm (solid oak frame 99x122cm, wire hook behind the frame)
Materials: Various types of paper (British paper for papercut, Japanese Awagami paper for background, and various Japanese washi paper for other parts), watercolour and black calligraphy ink
Still Connected
No plastic and metal are used for my artworks. The ropes are made with washi paper and dried grass from my garden. This is my respect for our precious wildlife. I use some traditional Japanese craft techniques to be noted.
Chigiri-e （千切り絵）: ‘chigiru‘ means tear in Japanese. (‘e’ means picture. Pictures created with teared paper pieces) I used teared pieces for both artworks.
Ko-yori（紙縒り）: twisted paper. The twisted paper pieces are traditionally used for hanging paper pieces on which wishes and prays are written. No glue used. For my 3D artwork, I used them to hang paper leaves as praying for future.
Shime-nawa （しめ縄）: twisted ropes. Shime-nawa is a symbol of holiness, often seen at the front of shrines and entrance of individual houses.
Size: ca 100w x 90h cm (80cm diameter of the stand)
Materials: various types of paper (Japanese washi paper, manila paper, and other recycled paper), solid oak, pruned branches, grass (ropes) watercolour and calligraphy ink
PROJECT 2022 For ‘Winter Sun’
Winter Morning in the Beech Woods 1
This piece and the installation (below) were created for the ‘Winter Sun’ exhibition at Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre.
Beech trees, large or small, mature or young, have all shed their leaves, which makes the sunlight coming through the bare branches. The sunlight is still hazy in the morning. However, animals, that are not hibernating, already active. Even though hibernating animals and trees are staying quiet, they are preparing for the next season.
- Papercut Collage (60cm diameter)
Card paper (made in the UK) for papercut, Japanese washi-paper for the background, coloured with extract from fallen beech leaves & water colour
Winter Morning in the Beech Woods 2
I created a large paper-cutting piece and an experimental installation piece which links to the paper cut piece. The materials are all natural, sustainable, and biodegradable, no plastic or metal. Paper that I used is various types of Japanese washi paper. The basic structure is made with vines, branches, grass leaves from my garden.
The circle of the object is almost the same size as the paper-cutting piece on the wall. The scene is made as if you looked down the ground from top of the tree, whereas you look up the sky through the woods in the paper-cutting piece.
An experimental Installation
80cm diameter x 60cm hight
Mixed media, only natural material, no plastic, no metal
Various plants (hazel, clematis, ivy, pendulous sedge, montbretia etc.), various Japanese washi-paper (coloured with extract from fallen beech leaves & water colour)
Leaves made from Japanese washi paper dyed with extract from fallen beech leaves
Mari Wirth 