HOLIDAY ART: Christmas Tree Chainsaw MassACRE
by Moe Beitiks, 12/27/08
This week we shared sustainable Christmas tree options for this holiday season. And even though Christmas is over, Chainsaw MassACRE, an art installation by SWA Group– a landscape architecture firm– still makes some enlightening commentary on the reality of the tree farming that makes it possible to provide Christmas trees for the masses. At first glance, the piece appears deceptively festive with rows of suspended paper trees. However, it is certainly a somber reminder of the environment in which most Christmas trees are grown: a more complete view of the installation reveals a chainsaw floating ominously above the crop of suspended paper trees, and a bungalow surrounded by chainsaw cut-outs strewn about on the ground below.
We usually encourage introducing a little green into every home, but in the case of Christmas trees, a cut tree means compromising environmental integrity. Some alternatives include: a live Christmas tree, a cardboard Christmas tree or an OLED tree. Folks can also rent a tree from Friends of the Urban Forest that will be planted in an urban environment after the holidays.
Chainsaw MassACRE was created as part of group art show, Christmas Tree Art Show. The works were auctioned off to raise money for childrens’ art supplies– certainly a way to foster creativity that will lead to future questionings of the environmental effects of industrial agriculture and the holiday season.
