Trees

“The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity, and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.” - William Blake, 1799.

Conversations with Trees is a collaboration between artist Yeo Shih Yun and trees across Singapore. The works were first presented at Esplanade’s Jendela Visual Arts Space in Singapore in February 2011 and subsequently at the Singapore Art Museum in 2012. The exhibition featured a multi-media presentation of drawings, photographs, films, silkscreen paintings, and a video installation.

In this project, Shih Yun tests the influence of external physical and metaphysical forces - wind and chance - on the glorious mark-making process. At random intervals, she attaches Chinese brushes dipped in Chinese ink to the tips of branches of trees in various settings across Singapore and allows the movement of the wind to create the marks. The resulting “tree drawings” are then selected and transferred onto silkscreens. The silkscreens are subsequently used to create abstract paintings on linen of various sizes.

This series of works continues to explore the mystical aspects of the drawing process (accidental and impermanent manifestations) in her works. Each work in Conversations with Trees celebrates nature, the medium, and playfulness. It invites contemplation of the process and what the viewer imprints onto them.

风一阵一阵吹起,树就牵动握笔的手,留下一句句耐人寻味的话语。

姚诗韵寻求不同于传统水墨画作的创作技巧,她总觉得一定还有些什麽特别的、能碰撞出新的火花、亦能从实验中燃起下一步创作的灵感。从一开始使用中国墨,混合其他西方媒材–如压克力颜料、色粉等,到使用不同笔刷、树枝、玩具车甚至是小机器人作画,这些都是诗韵在画室内醖酿出的。

这次诗韵想和大自然一起作画。她将各种不同粗细的毛笔沾着墨绑在树上,让风移动毛笔,在纸上留下一道道独一无二的轨迹。接着她把顶着大太阳收集到的笔迹,以电脑档桉记录并加以去背、修正后,製作绢印版;在广大的画室裡,空白的亚麻布上,一个人的时间,这些足够让她与树一起完成一幅画作了。