Sydney March 2016 (5 photos)
The Blue Trees is an environmental art installation that draws attention to global deforestation by turning living trees bright blue, demanding we notice them before the Earth’s old forests are gone for good.
Using a biologically safe, water-based colourant, artist Konstantin Dimopoulos transformed these trees in Pirrama Park with the assistance of volunteers from the local community to create The Blue Trees in Sydney for the first time.
Konstantin Dimopoulos is an Egyptian born, New Zealand raised, Melbourne based artist who has created The Blue Trees in locations including: outside St Paul’s Cathedral in London, around the USA and in Canada.
Of the project, he says:
“I have always known that art is, and has always been, an extended part of nature and that art can effect social change. For that to happen, one has to move out of the art institutions and galleries and move outside among nature and people in their living spaces.”
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This Art installation is now ended. The water soluble paint washed away very quickly with the rains.
Unique post as usual, thanks for sharing!
Thank you very much.
Welcome!
🙂
Very interesting indeed….and I may just have to check out the trees close to St Paul’s Cathedral too. Thanks for that! 🙂
My pleasure, but I think the Blue trees at St Paul’s is a past exhibition. Given that the paint is water based, it washes away quickly.
Gotcha and thanks for letting me know.
My pleasure.
lovely effort to draw attention.
Great post in response to WPC_Earth
Thank you very much.
🙂
Amazing
It was interesting to see.
A very novel and eyecatching way to bring attention to the plight of trees.
They were a very striking sight. An important message, too.
I haven’t heard of this art installation so found it very interesting, I love your great photos! I’m off to Sydney soon so will keep an eye out.
Thank you. This was back in March. The paint would be washed off by now as it was water soluble. The City did advertise the work would only be visible for a week or so, depending on the weather.
OK, thanks for that. It would have been worth seeing!
It was worth seeing. Maybe see some of the art at the Biennale of Sydney instead. On until early June at several locations. Also the Vivid Festival starts in a few weeks.
Very impressive idea, play with color. Give real tones!
It was very vibrant. Very eye-catching.
Wow! They’re actually quite beautiful. Let’s hope it was not in vain. Love the concept.
After a while, I got used to the colour and thought it looked very nice. It had an important message to say. Let’s hope people listen.
Blue trees
Sydney’s got blue trees
Like a deep blue sea
On a blue blue day
Blue trees
Sydney’s got blue trees
When the morning comes
I’ll be far away
And I say
Blue trees
Holding back the tears
Holding back the pain
Sydney’s got blue trees
And she’s alone again
Now I’ve got that song in my head, Elton. 🙂
Nicely done.
One of my favorites from Sir John. Great images, by the way…
Thank you very much. It is a great song.
Beautiful song that adds a lot of feeling to your great post LD!!! Love it!!
have a good day!
I can’t take credit for the song, but thank you very much. 🙂
Have a great week.
Interesting commentary but I can’t help but wonder doesn’t that paint injure the trees some kind of way?
I don’t know the specifics, but I’m guessing it’s an inert dye. The local council is very “green” oriented and would not allow any damage to their trees.
Oh good because I immediately thought Goldfinger…
Yes, I see what you were getting at. You’re not a megalomaniac in disguise, are you? 😉
MOI????
🙂
Nice color, but shocking pink might get more attention. 😉
Perhaps a bit too stark for most. 😉
We had a blue trees installation here in Seattle a few years ago. Beautiful and thought provoking at the same time.
Part of it was that he got volunteers from the local community to help paint the trees. I suppose it reinforces the message for the volunteers. The blue is shocking but you get used to it after a while. It’s an interesting art form.
Interesting project, Lignum, and thanks for highlighting it. It’s like the tree version of the Blue Man Group (https://www.blueman.com/about-blue-man-group), not necessarily in message, but in more obvious ways.
janet
Well, Earth is the blue planet. 🙂 I missed seeing the Blue Man Group a few years ago. Hopefully another time.
I admire Dimopoulos’ vision and great message via his art works. Thank you for the beautiful post, Dragon! 🙂
Thanks, Amy. I believe no birds were harmed or upset by the painting of the trees. 🙂
Thank you for letting me know that birds were not upset. 🙂 I think birds like blue.
I knew you’d be worried about them. 🙂
😍🐤
🙂
Though I value the thought behind this I’m very happy to see them return to brown Draco. Have a good week!
Understood. Have a great week, too.
A city that just keeps on giving you photo opps! I have seen these before posted by someone in Seattle. They do look extraordinary with the bright blue trunks.
It was quite a sight. I didn’t really know what to expect when I read the advertising blurb. It really was a vivid blue.
Really? I’ve not seen blue trees outside St Paul’s. I’ll have to look it up! Very cool.
It was back in 2013. Perhaps he’ll bring it back one day.
They certainly jolt the senses – a brilliant concept 🙂
It’s a very interesting idea. Can’t ignore it when you see it.
Smart project. Definitely got my attention but then again, I love trees.
Yes, I have noticed that on your site.
I was pleased to read that the paint was water soluble and washed off in the rain. But what a statement while it lasted.
A very bold statement.
molto surreale e chiassosa come installazione, sinceramente preferisco i colori naturali, ma ringrazio perché ti ha dato modo di fare un eccellente reportages
felice giorno
Grazie. Solo temporanea. 🙂
I wonder how trees felt 😉
That, I cannot answer. 😉
Hey Mr D … sure makes one stop and look doesn’t it? Trees are such a big beautiful necessary part of our world
Yes, a vital part of our world.
A cool idea. Still I prefer to have them au naturel.
True but at least it was only temporary. Yet, it made its point.
What a fabulous project and how much fun applying that blue!
Involving the community was a good idea.
The blue is brilliant! What a clever idea. Once again, thank you for sharing your world. I always enjoy the journey.
Thanks for visiting Sydney with me. Until I’d heard of the Artwork, I’d never been to this area before.
Argh! So sad I missed this art installation. It looks so amazing! And a great message too. Brilliant photography as always Draco 🙂
Thanks, Sandy. It was quite an unusual sight, but definitely worth a look in. You should subscribe for the city’s email alerts at https://whatson.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
Totally appropriate seeing that trees are a great source of oxygen. Our life need. Without oxygen we turn blue. We die.
That makes sense. I hadn’t thought of it that way – I was thinking along the lines of we’re the Blue Planet.
my internet connection died while writing, so I’m not sure if my comment was saved, so I’m writing it again:
so super cool… at first glance I thought these looked like octopuses, then I thought this is what aliens must look like… alien octopuses? hm….. it’s a brilliant and thought-provoking (obviously lol) way to attract attention 🙂 thanks for sharing…
Many thanks, Alex. The blue is a bit unsettling to the natural order, but it brings the message across.
Amazing!! 🙂 So my primary school teachers were wrong, there are blue trees after all!! 😉 When I first saw these I thought you’d altered the colour! That must have been quite a job painting those tree trunks blue. I wonder what colour the grass was after the rain? 😀 I love the last one with the sparkly sunlight, very attractive!
LOL. I can imagine you drawing blue trees and pink trees in school. 🙂 🙂 🙂
It was quite a sight to see. An interesting thought about the grass after the rain. Sadly, I don’t know the answer. Very kind of that family to sit right in front of me and start blowing bubbles. 🙂
I have missed so much from your recent work as I was almost away from WP for a long time.Masterful your photos and the theme,the Greek-Australian artist,K.Dimopoulos,always does influencial Art with great nature awareness.
Yes, that seems to be his trademark. We all need breaks from blogging. 🙂
Absolutely 🙂 xxx
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Very cool! I am intrigued.
🙂
I actually couldn’t believe the first photographs were real. The color is so vibrant, and I love how the green becomes more striking. It’s a shame that the planet is dying and for most people, it’s an afterthought in their daily lives. What a beautiful reminder to remember the trees and nature.
Thanks. I agree is was quite a stark way to highlight the issues, yet still as a beautiful artwork.