Writing with a Pine

Addressing a Tree as Audience

Författare

  • Annette Arlander

Abstract

Writing letters to trees next to the trees with a camera as witness is a practice connected to the problem of speaking for, with, or to others. Addressing the tree as an audience rather than speaking about the tree, or as the tree, or on behalf of the tree, is here explored as one way of encountering trees. This poses new problems; by treating plants as persons, rather than acknowledging the vegetal in me, do I neglect our joint participation in zoe, and disregard our trans-corporeality? Is addressing the tree in writing actually making our relationship more fictional compared to simply breathing and appearing together? - The text consists of four parts, including a prologue, the letter, a dialogue with critical references and an epilogue. Besides exploring the problem of addressing a tree, the aim is to demonstrate how artistic research can allow seemingly contradictory approaches to coexist on an experiential level.

Författarbiografi

Annette Arlander

Annette Arlander, DA, is an artist, researcher and a pedagogue, one of the pioneers of Finnish performance art and a trailblazer of artistic research. Former professor in performance art and theory at University of the Arts Helsinki and professor in performance, art and theory at Stockholm University of the Arts. At present she is visiting researcher at Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts Helsinki with the project Meetings with Remarkable and Unremarkable Trees. Her research interests include artistic research, performance-as-research and the environment. Her artwork moves between the traditions of performance art, video art and environmental art. https://annettearlander.com/

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Publicerad

2023-03-08

Referera så här

Arlander, A. (2023). Writing with a Pine: Addressing a Tree as Audience. Näyttämö ja tutkimus, 9, 103–120. Hämtad från https://journal.fi/teats/article/view/127615