BE-COMING TREE (2020/21)

by Jatun Risba

A disrobed body is resting immobile on an uprooted tree
in the woods in
a world that is collapsing – HERE AND NOW –
making a pause
re-membering
below the bark
underneath the roots
a still presence speaks and ants crawling around
the coming undone the
be-coming tree.

'Be-coming Tree' is an encounter between the live stream of the human World Wide Web and the living mycelium networks of the Wood Wide Web.

The artist Jatun Risba forms an embryonic entanglement with woods in order to re-member. By embedding oneself into a forest, breathing in the fresh smell of the vegetation, listening to the sounds of birds and insects, one can uproot feelings of isolation and preoccupations deriving from the covid-19 outbreak. By aligning with the rhythms of nature, one can transcend the causes of modern-day alienation and deception which are the main causes of suffering and mental disorder. 'Be-coming Tree' is a sensuous full body offering to the life forces of a natural woodland and an acknowledgment of the invaluable beauty, vigor and generosity of wild landscapes, within and without.

'Be-coming Tree' documents Risba’s durational act, immersed in the changes of the Panovec forest in Nova Gorica, Slovenia during the four seasons of the pandemic year 2020/21. The first of the artist's actions occurred on April 30th 2020. Risba’s laying still and naked on the horizontal uprooted tree for one hour was re-enacted and live-streamed by the artist in the summer, autumn and winter. This was one of the many performances included in the first three global Be-coming Tree Live Art events. The initial solitary online & offline performance with an uprooted beech tree was, for the artist, healing and meaningful,providing an insight into the coexistence of life and death in daily existence. The trunk on which the performer was laying in stillness, was a site teeming with life while undergoing the process of self-composting. The response from online audiences was warm, thankful and encouraging.

The performance’s tranquil merging of human and more-than-human inspired collective action, leading to inclusive, far-reaching collaboration. Be-coming Tree branched out into a co-creation of 3 female/non-binary artists with ages ranging from 34 to 73: Jatun Risba, Danièle Minns and O. Pen Be, and has produced seasonal live-streamed collective Live Art events that have so far included 71 artists from 32 countries in 6 continents.

Through a partnership with the TreeSisters organization — a UK registered female-led social change and reforestation charity that has so far funded the planting of over 22 million trees across 12 locations in Brazil, Borneo, Cameroon, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Madagascar, Nepal and West Papua — the collective Be-coming Tree project contributes to environmental restoration by harnessing collective creativity and fund-raising for sustainable tree planting via ticket sales. Artists commune with nature, and audiences experience live art and global ecosystems while supporting planetary restoration via tropical reforestation.

See an extract of Risba's initial 'Be-coming Tree' action below.

The video 'Be-coming Tree Polyptych' offers an artistic revision of the first actio* on the 30th of April 2020.

CREDITS
Concept, Poem and Performance: Jatun Risba
Video: Franco G. Livera
Photo: Sašo Batič
Thanks to Maja Usico and An Krumberger for technical assistance and support.

* The artist uses the Latin term actio to designate performative actions with spiritual or civil implications.

'BE-COMING TREE' IN SUMMER

This trailer offers an insight into the summer entanglement of artist Jatun Risba with an uprooted beech tree in Panovec woods, Slovenia on the 1st of August  2020. This 'actio' was one among the  many included in the world-wide 'Be-coming Tree' Live Art event via Zoom that showcased 19 artists from 10 different countries.

CREDITS
Concept and Performance: Jatun Risba
Video editing: Franco G. Livera
Video footage: Maja Usico and Sašo Batič
Thanks to An Krumberger for technical assistance and support.

'BE-COMING TREE' IN AUTUMN

'Be-coming Tree in Autumn' is a contemplation upon impermanence. The video illustrates the third durational entanglement of Jatun Risba with an uprooted beech tree in Panovec woods, Slovenia. This 'actio' (a performative act with spiritual or civil implications) was one of the 17 performances included in the 2nd global 'Be-coming Tree' Live Art event via Zoom which occurred on the 31st October 2020.

CREDITS
Concept and Performance: Jatun Risba
Video editing: Franco G. Livera
Video footage: Maja Usico and Sašo Batič
Thanks to An Krumberger for technical assistance and support.

Music:
“Elevator music for the Subconscious water, wind and fire” by Xiola Yin
“Unison Alchemy” by Xiola Yin with Jatun Risba & Manolis Zografakis

'BE-COMING TREE' IN WINTER

The fourth and final act of Jatun Risba’s Be-coming Tree personal entanglement with an uprooted beech tree is an ode for a borderless world. Through emptying the self, merging with nature, becoming space. Love in action while moving feet in stillness.

The video documents Risba’s fourth and last one-hour act of communion with an uprooted beech tree in Panovec woods in Nova Gorica, Slovenia. The four acts occurred as seasonal events over one year. Risba's ecoaction originated a grassroots artist-led project with the same name. Find out more about the Be-coming Tree movement at becomingtree.live/.

Concept, performance, soundscape: Jatun Risba
Video editing: Franco G. Livera
Video footage: Maja Usico
With the assistance of An Krumberger.