Photography project using the written word and bio-plastics to tell the story of our role within the eco-crisis. I created bio-plastic leaves using corn starch, vinegar and glycerin. I felt it was also important to include paper – part of the natural tree we often forget – within the project and thus created leaves recycled from old books. The hands offer the human element, reaching towards or gently welcoming this new age of responsibility within our planet.
Raquel Reynolds
Professor Rhee
Sustainable Systems
11 April 2019
Intertwined: One Heart One Tree
The heartbeat is the symphony of life, constantly with us as we dance – or stumble – along life’s path. Our human heartbeats are symbolic of the vibration that all living things share. Every living being has a vibration, an energy that marks its existence. It is this living energy that is beautifully conveyed in the work of Naziha Mestaoui who proves an excellent role model for how artists can change the world.
Naziha Mestaousi’s “One Heart One Tree” is an ambitious project that aims to “connect individuals to distant ecosystems” through interactive art (Rubin Museum). First displayed on the Eiffel tower in December of 2015, Mestaousi’s artwork overlays virtual trees onto city spaces using large video projectors and blurs the boundaries between the natural world and technology, the real and the imagined. These digital trees grow in response to an individual’s heartbeat, as users connect through a smartphone application that utilizes the phone’s camera to capture and record one’s pulse (Frank). Algorisms are used to “analyze the chromatic micro-changes from blood circulation from [an individual’s] finger,” and this information allows the virtual tree to grow in accordance with one’s own rhythmic heart (Kite-Powell). To further increase dialogue between the real and the imagined, for each virtual tree grown, a physical tree is later planted in one of many reforestation programs in regions around the world, from Europe and Latin America to Africa and Asian (Smati). However ephemeral “One Heart One Tree” may seem, the collective artwork gives weight to the decisions we make every day and transforms a virtual act into a physical outcome. Since its inception four years ago, the project has already given life to over one hundred thousand trees and traveled to many countries including Turkey, India, and Brazil (OneHeartOneTree). Mestaoui powerfully demonstrates how art can be used as a transformative tool, directly impacting both people and the natural world.
Mestaoui’s vision was inspired by the heart of ancestral knowledge and culture. The artist stayed with native tribes of the Amazon where she learned from societies that still live in a reality made of “visible and invisible worlds” (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). “Their relationship with nature is truly a source of inspiration and is very different from ours: in their eyes, a tree is another living being,” the artist shared in an interview, “with which they can communicate and exchange thoughts and ideas” (Mufson). This story illustrates the importance and value of connecting different cultures and voices. Only by connecting with others, and particularly those that do not share our views, can one grow – as an artist and as an individual. The tribes had a deep consideration for nature, and Mestaoui believed that these ancestral cultures could inspire our connection to the natural world. Influenced by a completely different culture, “One Heart One Tree” aims to give individuals the power to create life and influence nature in both the physical and virtual space.
Mestaoui’s work incorporates space and imagery on a large-scale; large structures such as the London Bridge or the Colosseum are the preferred canvas for her digital imagery. By committing to an artwork that reaches a larger public, “One Heart One Tree” aims to touch all citizens, regardless of country, language, age, gender, belief, or way of life. The project was not created for the educated elite in a private venue, but rather for all people beyond any distinction. Mestaousi’s passion for social equality is evident in the creation of this technological artwork that allows each of us to take direct action in defense of the environment and fight – together and in mutual respect and understanding – the effects of climate change. The artwork holds a direct message: We can all be a part of the solution to save our planet. We all have the power to act and inspire our future.
The artwork sparks an appreciation of the natural world though digital splendor and explores the roles that science, technology, and humanity can play in stabilizing our environment. Mestaoui strived to reconnect the living to other living forms: The heartbeat of each individual has the potential to give life – through technology – to another life, a tree. We are all a part of a larger network, and we are not disconnected from other species. We are all interconnected. Once that statement resonates, one cannot help but have newfound respect for everything on earth – the plants, the animals, the technology, and other humans. Man verses technology; man verses nature; man verses man. Instead of opposition, Mestaoui merges these concepts to create a dynamic conservation around the disconnect we hold between ourselves, others, and everything that is around us.
Mestaoui demonstrates the ways in which art serves to connect us, to show us the world, and create discourse around difficult topics. She is an admirable pioneer in one of the most collaborative approaches to taking action for the planet. As a creative and cohabitant of this earth, I strive to become someone as selfless and impactful in social justice and environmental activism as Mestaoui and her artwork.
Work Cited
“Five Inspiring Artists Motivated by Climate Change.” Rubin Museum. 1 Oct. 2015,
http://rubinmuseum.org/blog/five-inspiring-artists-motivated-by-climate-change.
Frank, Priscilla. “You Can Plant A Virtual Tree That Grows to The Rhythm of Your
Heartbeat.” Huffington Post, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/one-beat-one-tree_n_5512285. Kite-Powell, Jennifer. “This App Uses Your Heartbeat To Transform The Eiffel Tower
Into A Virtual Forest.“ Forbes, https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferhicks/2015/11/28/this-app- uses-your-heartbeat-to-transform-the-eiffel-tower-into-a-virtual- forest%E2%80%8B/#54a7a78e6003.
Mufson, Beckett. “Feed a Digital Forest on the Eiffel Tower with Your Heartbeat.” Vice, https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/aenjzp/feed-a-digital-forest-on-the-eiffel-tower-with-your- heartbeat.
One Heart One Tree: Art and Technology Unite for Nature. https://www.1heart1 tree.org/cop21/live
“One Heart One Tree.” United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, https://unfccc.int/media/518176/1-heart-1-tree-dossier-partenaires-en.pdf
Smati, Maha. “Artist Plants ‘Virtual Forests’ on Eiffel Tower To Encourage Reforestation.” Huffington Post, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/virtual-trees-forest-eiffel- towel_n_5665aa35e4b079b2818f3113.
Photographs of “One Heart One Tree” art installation:
