If We Could Hear Trees Talk

“If We Could Hear Trees Talk” a special showing by Dotti Cichon will open on Friday, April 12 at 4 pm in the Jacob Foyer at Gualala Arts.

“Intrigued by research showing that trees communicate with each other via their root systems to nurture and protect each other, I embarked on a project to learn more about trees and forests. By absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, trees help prevent global warming and climate change and provide the atmosphere that makes life on Earth possible.

Rainforests being clear cut purely for profit and the loss of old growth redwoods right here in California due to greed or wildfires caused by climate change saddens me. I wanted to express my emotional reaction to these issues visually with my photography so I experimented by manipulating colors in photos to show trees as voids and/or presenting them upside down with their crowns appearing as roots.  But there is a caveat that I write about in my closing paragraph.

The resulting photos are somewhat strange but seductively beautiful to draw people in to take a closer look and question “What is going on here” They are meant to appeal to viewers on a subliminal emotional level and entice them to learn more about my photos and thus learn more about the importance of trees and the threat to life on Earth from deforestation.

To further emphasize the enormity of the loss of trees and to convey a sense of being in a forest, I present photos large-scale on heavily textured fabric 6 feet x 3 ½ feet either vertical or horizontal to appeal to all kinds of people to look more closely at them in this unusual format for photography.  They are not just for people who are interested in photography who go to museums and galleries. I want this project to be able to be exhibited in other public spaces where they can be seen by everyday people in everyday situations so more people can experience them.

But, for a more conventional presentation but not completely traditional, I present photos on metallic photo paper. The metallic photo paper accentuates the light values in the images so they have an eerie glow, also drawing people in to take a closer look. These strangely beautiful images are meant to open hearts and minds.

I want beauty to be the vehicle that draws people in to learn more about these issues. I don’t want to dwell on the negativity of loss. I want my work to show that life can return to forests after devastation and that there is hope for the future if we act proactively now. So, instead of looking at the light trunks as voids, I hope to change perceptions to see them as glowing hope for the future. It’s my goal to use my strange photography presented in unconventional ways to draw attention to these important issues confronting humankind as well as to present exceptional art accessible and understandable by all.”