Blue Trees Welcome Ceremony will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 17 at the J. Wayne Reitz Collonade, free.
As part of the Arts and Humanities month initiative, the University of Florida will host "The Blue Trees," an artistic exhibit by Konstantin Dimopoulos that features natural trees painted with a blue colourant.
Dimopoulos' vision for "The Blue Trees," which debuted at the Vancouver Biennale in March 2011, is to draw attention to a landmark of nature which people normally take for granted, and ultimately to inspire awareness and raise discussions about the threat of deforestation.
Removing 800,000 square miles of trees worldwide every year, deforestation threatens the planet's environment and contributes to the warming of the earth. Because color can define place and time and is a perception-shifting element, color emphasizes the presence of the trees—a process vital to raising awareness about the threat of deforestation. Furthermore, the color blue defines the trees with a
sacredness arising from the color's tendency to attract but also to signal defense.
The colourant is completely harmless to the trees. The substance, classified as non-hazardous, consists of calcium carbonate and ultramarine blue. The blue color, which could be removed with a hose of mild pressure, will wash off naturally with rain.
Dimopoulos, who as a painter began to pursue sculpture in 1998, was born in Egypt and currently lives in Melbourne, Australia. "The Blue Trees" exhibit is an example of his artwork geared toward social commentary. To learn more about Dimopoulos and his work, visit http://www.kondimopoulos.com/blue-trees/.
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College of Fine Arts
