Treeful
The Royal Amsterdam Zoo commissioned me to do a comprehensive study of three trees. With a team of 41 volunteers I analysed and studied the trees from top to bottom – their branches, leaves, spider webs and cracks in the bark. The research took place in the open during the busy summer period and many children helped spontaneously.
Treeful. Noun. The quantity or number which fills a tree.
The project took place over three weeks. Its goal was to give the visitors in Artis a radically different and up-close perspective on nature. It was fascinating to see how people’s curiosity about individual trees was piqued while the research was being carried out.
The initial results were presented in the popular Artis magazine and was sent to its 80,000 subscribers. The final data was turned into artistic patterns for wallpaper for a refurbished historical building in the zoo.
Treeful was made possible by Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst, Natura Artis Magistra and the kind help of the volunteers: Bert, Bouwina, Caro, Charlotte, Cilly, Connie, Erik, Femke, Gerrit, Ghazaleh, Gita, Govrien, Haydeh, Huub, Jarek, Jordan, Josha, Josjah, Kim, Kim, Kim, Koi, Linda, Livina, Loredana, Madelief, Marjolein, Mathilde, Milou, Monique, Monique, Nancy, Peter, Piuma, Rafael, Roel, Stijn, Suzanne, Syl, Tim and Wendy.
