FALLE


Steel reinforcement mesh, pine tree resin, metal wire. 2023

Exhibited from the 23/06 to the 31/10 of 2023 in the group exhibition Zwischenwurzeln by the Huemer Klasse of the Academy of Fine Arts of Vienna, in collaboration with the Forstmuseum Silvanum in Großreifling, Steiermark.



The steel reinforcement mesh embedded in tree resin, instead of being engulfed in concrete as it would be meant to, reveals a relationship that stands on both fragility and endurance, conflict and cooperation. Its orderly grid hints at our human inclination to shape and control; yet, immersed within the resin, a new narrative emerges - one that reflects the intersections between the human hand and the delicate fabric of nature.

The use of the mesh serves as a metaphor of the impact of the industry upon fragile ecosystems; the resin, once secreted by trees as their protective armor, becomes a symbol of resilience and adaptation. Resin in trees can be a good indicator of the plant’s wellbeing, given that the production of such is highly influenced by altered conditions related to climate change; with the tree getting increasingly stressed, its resin production diminishes, leaving it more exposed to external threats such as bark beetles, which penetrate the tree’s inner layers and feed off its bark from the inside. 

Evoking the entrapment of insects in amber, the resin captures the essence of the symbiotic relationship bark beetles have with trees. These tiny creatures, often regarded as pests, hold a crucial place within the ecosystem. Their interactions with tree resin exemplify the delicate balance of coexistence and adaptation, revealing nature's intricate responses to environmental pressures. The inner-workings of this relationship should naturally be perfectly functional, however its innate balance has been dented by the excessive force of the industry’s intervention. 

The steel mesh, once an instrument of human ambition, finds itself intertwined with the resin—a testament to the intricate dance of power, responsibility, and cohabitation. In this entanglement, the artwork becomes a metaphorical meeting ground, where the forces of human agency and the regenerative capacities of nature are bound together, caught in a fragile equilibrium.