Growing awareness
2016
In the past, the builders of wooden ships would plant young trees that could be used by the later generation of ship builders. In some cases they would even alter the growth of these young trees using ropes so the crooked shapes could be harvest and used for specific, bended, parts of the ship.
In many aspects of live we favor instant gratification above long term investments or planning. According to some, this sort term thinking forms a mayor barrier in confronting and tackling climate change. Politicians addressing controversial topics like closing down a coal powered plant are not always popular. Voters are more concerned with increasing taxes than “distant” environmental threats. That’s why some politicians tend to avoid the discussion and focus on satisfying the short term desires of their voters.
By planting a symbolic monument of the distant threat of flooding in the heart of the Dutch political center, we can offer a daily reminder to politicians to think about the long term consequences of their political choices. The monument consists of a multitude of trees. When these trees are young their shape is altered so in time, the bundle of trees together will visualize a ship.
