Land Art and the Invisible Tree
I love the concept of land art. Often we think of art as something formal that we see in a museum or an art gallery, that was made to be purposely looked at and observed. However, with land art, the viewer often stumbles upon it accidentally without searching for or expecting it. There is something so beautiful about this concept, and it really makes me think about what the purpose of art is in the first place. Art is meant to be expressive not only for the artist, but to the viewer. Land art forces viewers to see it–they did not pay for a museum ticket or stand in line at a fancy gallery to catch a glimpse of it. Land art is free, and often takes us by surprise. I remember going to the Botanical Gardens in New York City once, and seeing a sculpture of a caterpillar made out of a cut shrub. I was taken aback by it because I was not expecting it—it was just there. This surprise factor of land art is what draws me to it—you are almost always surprised by its existence. Take Daniel Siering’s and Mario Schuster’s Invisible Tree project (image posted separately). The two found a tree in the middle of field and wrapped cellophane around part of its trunk. They then used spray paint to color the cellophane in a way that mimicked the background behind the tree, making it look like the tree had been cut, and the top part was floating. Not only is this a captivating and creative idea, but I am sure the piece comes as a surprise to anyone who may walk by it. It is unexpected, surprising, maybe even startling or strange—and that is what makes it so beautiful.
Posted 12/11/2020











