What will replace the green when it’s all disappeared?
What will replace the green when it's all disappeared?
2015
Gray Elm Tree stump with 3 video-bubbles
3-channel video-composition with sound, 9:30 min, looped
video projectors embedded in found tree stump, on/ off switch and sound control
59 x 33.4 x 33.4 in / 150 x 85 x 85 cm/
Image courtesy of Timur York
Calling attention to the issue of deforestation, Katja Loher uses stumps found in Nature to explore another facet of our delicate relationship with the environment. Through its pure sculptural form, this new series expands upon the connection between human and technology versus Nature, highlighting the coexistence of natural and artificial.
This new series is based on tree stumps Loher found laying in Fort Tryon Park, in New York City. The sight of a cut and abandoned tree evoked the artist’s continuous concern with Planet Earth. Using her visionary method of displaying videos, Loher integrates free-blown bubbles into the tree’s cavities, resembling ephemeral soap bubbles. As a result, the videos shown within take on multi-tiered meanings, as the glass orbs seem to hover around the tree, about to dissipate and disappear forever. Inspired by the delicate and fleeting beauty of things, the artist invites us to contemplate and reverence Nature. Beauty is omnipresent in Loher’s works, as the essence of life sustaining processes supporting our planet. Peering into the sculptures is like having a conversation with oneself, in an intimate experience that also resonates globally, addressing ecological urgencies.
The magical videos and sounds that can be discovered in these pieces come in part from Loher’s experience living and working with Amazon indigenous in Peru. She recorded their knowledge and songs with the intention to share with other cultures their deep understanding and respect of the world and all its forms and creatures.