EINES VON FIELEN, RESANITA, 2016 / 2017
Installation Size: 1,50 x 4,00 m
Oak Tree, 18.926 real leaves stacked in papersheets, Overlay of 18.926 photographs from each leaf
EINES VON FIELEN ist eine wissenschaftliche und künstlerische Zusammenarbeit von RESANITA mit Ilja Reiter, Mitglied der Forschungsföderation ECCOREV (Continental Ecosystems and Environmental Risks) und Leiter des O3HP-Programms (Eichenwald-Feldstudie am Observatoire Haute-Provence OHP) in Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire, Frankreich, die die Auswirkungen des Klimawandels erforscht. Jährlich fällten die Biologen zwei 100 Jahre alte Eichen bereiten deren Daten für eine biometrische Beschreibung auf. Diese Messungen bestehen aus der Codierung der Äste, dem Wiegen und Abmessen aller Teile des Baumes sowie der Gruppierung von Blattwerk - von RESANITA wurden die Blätter entfernt, gezählt, gepresst und getrocknet, nach ihrer ursprünglichen Position am Ast geordnet, und jedes Blatt einzeln fotografiert und archiviert. Die Frage, die dem Prozess voranging, ist: Produzieren die Blätter mehr Sauerstoff, als wir zum Atmen benötigen? Wie verletzlich sind einzelne Komponenten eines Habitats klimatischen Veränderungen gegenüber?
EINES VON FIELEN is a scientific and artistic collaboration of RESANITA with Ilja Reiter, Member of the research federation ECCOREV (Continental Ecosystems and Environmental Risks) and head of the O3HP program (Oak Observatory at the OHP Observatory of Haute Provence) in St. Michel-l’Observatoire, France, which focuses on studying the effects of climate change.
By the biologists two one-hundred-year old oak tree are harvested every year - and the data for the biometric description elaborated. The measurements consisted of encoding the branches, weighing and measuring all parts of the tree, and compiling leaf clouds - RESANITA removed, counted, compressed, and dried the leaves, ordered them according to their branch of origin, and then each leaf was photographed and archived.
The question that informed this process: Do the leaves produces more oxygen than we breathe? How susceptible are the individual components of a habitat to climate change?
"As artists being creative in the topics around nature, natural and land history, and in the associated areas of conflict with society and politics, RESANITA are very active in interdisciplinary and international projects. An illustrative and recent example is the ‚Project
Observational Journal‘. This is an ongoing collaboration between them and Austrian and Russian scientists and their institutes.
The concept which form the base of the collaboration with the French Mediterranean program of the Oak Observatory at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence (O3HP) in the department of the Alpes de Haute-Provence at St Michel l’Observatoire. The oak
observatory is run by the research federation ECCOREV (Aix-en-Provence) and the IMBE (AMU/ Marseille), and is focused on studies in relation to effects of climate change on the deciduous Mediterranean Downy oak (‘Chêne blanc’).
During a visit in June 2016 we discussed our plans and agreed on a common effort for a scientific & artistic collaboration. This took place during a week in September, when we selected and harvested a hundred-year-old oak tree. We elaborated the data for the
biometric description to retrieve certain allometric relationships of the tree. The measurements were comprised of encoding branches, weighing and measuring branch lengths and the extension of leaf clouds, and also in the counting of leaves. The artists, detached and counted the leaves one-by-one. Further, a stem core was taken as to analyse growth relationships. Aliquots of the foliage were
scanned as to establish mass-surface area relationships in the vertical profile of the tree. Thereafter, they transported the whole tree and its entire foliage of 18.926 leaves to their workshop in Graz/ Austria, where they continued to process the biomass. Leaves were compressed and dried, ordered and numbered according to their branch of origin, and mounted in a huge herbarium. Part of the leaves underwent computer tomography. Further, a digital image of each leaf was taken and all of the images overlayed and
printed on paper." (Ilja Reiter, manager of O3HP)
PLANTS & POLITICS
6. Mai - 17. Juni 2017
Galerie Zimmermann-Kratochwill
Opernring 7, 8020 Graz
FLEETING TERRITORIES
29. September - 9. Dezember 2017
Kunstraum Niederösterreich
Herrengasse 13, 1010 Wien
RESIDENCY at Fondation IMERA / Aix Marseille Université
1.- 30. April 2018
2, Place le Verrier, 13004 Marseille, France
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