Gallery 3
Tree Time
Caitlin Dear with Thomas Schmocker

Have you ever hung out with a tree…?

Come on a walk through the gardens of the Abbotsford Convent to meet a tree and spend some time getting to know them.

This participatory work involves an audio-guided interaction with a tree. Inviting you to investigate interspecies connection with curiosity and sensitivity.
You will be met inside c3 by one of the artists, who will guide you through the experience. You’ll venture outside together, perhaps recounting memories, sharing a cultural perspective or discussing how trees interact with the world. Once you arrive at a tree, you will be left alone with them and provided a headset. Verbal prompts, embedded in an audio soundscape, will guide you towards a social encounter with this tree.

I invite you to become introduced to this tree…
How do they smell?
What does their bark look like up close?
How might they be perceiving you?

Tree Time involves thinking beyond the human perspective to interrogate personal relations with our vegetal friends. Questioning the place of trees within our societies, our ethics and our politics.

After overseas presentations in both artistic and academic settings, this is the premier of Tree Time in Australia and is connected to Caitlin’s ongoing research into human-tree relations.

You can find a schedule for participation, here and click here to book a session