Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Would planners more likely notice our trees if they were blue?

Linda Foubister captured this image in Seattle, where someone thought trees might have a better chance of being preserved if they were more noticeable, e.g. blue instead of green and brown, for a change.

Australian artist Konstantin Dimopoulos stained sixteen trees at Westlake Park an electric blue to draw attention to the trees. Dimopoloulos believes that people take trees for granted, noting that forests are the lungs of the world. The blue stain is made from azurite, a blue rock, and is expected to wash away over time.

According to the Seattle Times, "Dimopoulos believes that deforestation, for many, is out of sight, so people don't often think about it. His hope is that by creating a striking contrast between what trees look like normally and the blue that he will color them, he can get people to stop and educate themselves on what the project is and what it represents." He has done Blue Trees in Vancouver, Richmond and New Zealand. So what do you think? Blue trees in Victoria?

Linda Foubister

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