Names on Trees (NOT project)
-> 2009 - 2011
NOT Project or Names on Trees is an encounter with unknown taggers and the natural process of growth & re-generation of a pathway of Eucalyptus trees. What began in 2009 continued as an ongoing study until 2011. NOT Project was part of 2011 Darwin Festival events. NOT Project is an intervention upon a pathway of trees in order to acknowledge the regenerative powers of nature and a history of use. Names on Trees Project is a participatory act that identifies a tactical relationship between humans and Nature.
As an environmental piece it focuses on tagging as a minority practice, the regenerative gum tree and my actions as the intervener/observer. This focus makes problematic the normative associations of what is considered an offence against society and Nature. It tells of the small and possibly noticed phenomena of tagging and bark regeneration or the act of erasure by the tree's natural regenerative process. As an artwork it repositions tagging as a domestic norm rather than a criminal act. The designed lighting suggests a picture gallery or the intimacy of a book light. As an observed act of graffiti it explores notions of harm against a nature which is in a state of eternal flow.
