The one above, Jasmine Murrell's "Fingertips that Touch the Stars," in a little island between meanders, pays tribute to the all the hands that sculpted the land, from stars to ancestors. (The mirrors give it a depth and lightness a photo can't capture.) She observes: The most important thing to learn from trees is that nothing is done alone.
Seema Lisa Pandya's "Seed of Potential" invites you to enter the casing from which a seed has broken forth. As you approach you find it inscribed with values of care: mindfulness, emergence, creativity, respect, menstrual reverence, community, laughter, love, peace, vibrancy, cosmic awe, TEK (traditional ecological knowledge), equity, kindness, storytelling, togetherness. The seed has more...
Natsuki Takauji explains her "The Heart of the Tree": personification of nature is fundamental in Japanese mythology and Shintoism; I grew up interpreting trees as spirits, gods, shelter, or even myself, a human. The piece was watched over by a bird, which hopped around to keep an eye on me as I circled it.I'd like to bring the fall "Religion of Trees" class here. These works about the cultural or spiritual significance of trees (another celebrates the Peruvian tradition of yunza, where a tree is festooned with gifts then festively cut down) are in a fascinating dialogue with the majestic and reverently tended trees surrounding us.
