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les arbres

Don’t believe for a minute these trees don’t feel anything as they keep a peaceful watch on the Canal du Vassé! The giant neurons installed by Roland Cros evoke the invisible bonds between one bank and the other, the secret thoughts we’ll never know. But what are the trees thinking about?

Are they watching us? Are they in pain? Do they love each other? We’ve been studying trees’ formidable ability to interact with each other and know they communicate with each other through odors, roots, and even electrical impulses. The braided-wood neurons above the canal, looking like a network of nervous-system cells enlarged a million times, encourage us to see our mute companions differently. Big trees are definitely more than just giants to be chopped down! Since the beginning of time there have been peoples who’ve known this, who’ve treated trees as sacred beings to be communicated with. And us? What if we started listening to the trees?

Visual artist Roland Cros lives and works in Paris (France), where he was born in 1958. After working as a photographer then a documentary filmmaker, he now focuses on linocut and chainsaw carving. Today he creates giant installations made of wood in nature or public places, and participates in numerous outdoor art events in France and abroad.