“The role of art for me is the visualisation of attitude, of the human attitude towards life, towards the world.”
- Josef Albers
For some trees are a fantastic metaphor for life. For others they become a magestic symbol of strength. Yet, for me, they are so much more. They are life. Our lives are so interconnected with them on so many levels. They are our source of fresh air, our nutritients and our food.
How easy is it to forget that the meats we eat all consume plant matter for thier growth. That bread is the seeds from tall grasses. That the overwhelming majority of nutrients we ingest are sourced from the sun via plants. From a tree, wether it’s from a grass, a vegetable or the largest soaring giants of the plant world.
Where is the line between a tree and another plant truely defined? Our scientific classification forces them into boxes. Yet they are all plants that form a complex ecosystem that we are inextricably apart of.
How easy is it for us to forget in our modern world where our foods are processed and packaged for convenience. The connection to thier root source is easily lost. And with that loss is our disconnect from the importance of nature.
I feel blessed to be able to be so connected with trees and thier vital role in our lives. To have increadible empathy towards them is such a special gift. The forests needs more champions to fight for thier plight.
We cant rely on science to save us, we need to wake up and solve our problems ourselves. Trees are our answer. It is so blatantly obvious. It has been for such a long time. When will we truely start. Soon I hope, soon.
The Otways, Victoria. Photograph and text copyright © Len Metcalf 2019
