a gala for treeharvard arts first festival
with ethan lee
the trees of harvard yard have not been there forever. they will not be there forever. though we understand the generous canopies and their majestric trunks to be a fundamental part of the experience of harvard yard, creating spaces for study, play, and relaxation, these trees are vulnerable to the winds of time. in harvard yard, in cambridge, and all over the world, elm trees are regularly lost to dutch elm disease. we propose a project that celebrates the life and death of these ancient yet lively, wise yet silent classmates. we intened to locate the most at-risk trees under harvard stewardship, wrap them in a sheer fabric, and rub the fabric with colored wax/charcoal. the impression of the dying tree’s bark will remain on the fabric after it has been unwrapped. we propose to take these wrappings, a record of a tree at the end of its life, and bring them back to harvard yard. hanging from slender cables, these ghosts, their colorful inscription a nod to the coming spring, wil dance together with their peers one last time. it is a spring gala celebrating both life and death, and we hope that you will join.