Common Love,
Aesthetics of Becoming
April 27–June 11, 2011
Mads Lynnerup
Tree, 2008
Installation with plywood benches and tree, newspapers, video displayed on monitors, peanut and water dispensers
Fisher Landau Center for Art, New York
Mads Lynnerup's Tree (2008) is conceived in a similar spirit, although the project intervenes more directly into the larger community, tapping into DIY movements and grassroots organization strategies. With Tree, the artist set out to bridge the gap between the Fischer Landau Center for Art, where the work was presented, and the surrounding Queens neighborhood. The Tree structure, positioned in the art center's courtyard, was tall enough to draw attention from passersby. Envisioned as a meeting spot, the work was outfitted with local newspapers in various languages, modular benches, as well as snacks and water for sustenance. Gathering the water supply for Tree served as an advertising device and fostered local connections: Lynnerup traveled door-to-door, requesting donations of tap water from members of the community and personally inviting them to visit the project. The piece thus enacted a reciprocal exchange: neighbors gave water as a gift to the artist, while his Tree provided a resource and meeting ground for the community.