Becoming Non-Human, Designing Non-Human

Non-human: tree

Trees are a huge source of life, not only do they produce the oxygen that we need to live, but they grow the foods of different animals, and provide shelter–even we, to a certain extent, use them for shelter when we sit beneath them in the park.

My walk to Tompkins Square Park, the walk I took inside of it, and the walk going home, I paid attention to the trees. While the trees in the sidewalks initially caught my attention (due to how polluted their areas were), the trees that stood out the most to me were the trees in Tompkins Square Park. Immediately I noticed the level of human interaction between humans and trees. I noticed people sitting beneath them–even those that didn’t offer shade–and I noticed, especially one tree had decorations on it.

I began to think about how long the decorations had been there, if they were going to be taken down, and what kinds of possible effects the decorations could have on the trees and their other interactions.

My design idea is to create decoration that are not-harmful to the tree, the earth, or the animals. I would create a decoration that is biodegradable, non-harmful if eaten by an animal, and also beautiful.

I believe if we interact more with nature, we will appreciate it more and want to preserve it and take care of it. Decorating trees is also a way to build community. People are already decorating trees, but the problem with those decorations are that they’re made of wires, plastics, glass, and other materials that are not good for the environment. So by creating a decoration that is not harmful to the trees or animals, the decoration would also increase human appreciation for the trees.

IMG_1177

left-over lights tangled in a tree in Tompkins Square

IMG_1176

tangled decorations in Tomkins Square

IMG_1178

woman sitting beneath a tree in Tompkins Square

Leave a reply

Skip to toolbar