Mark Dion

I thought this was a great idea for a sculpture that illustrates the complexities of nature that many people take for granted. The artist said they tried to highlight all of the factors necessary for this fallen tree to sustain life that occur naturally in nature, and how much work and technology it took to try and replicate these (irrigation, ventilation, sunlight color.) I have been aware that when a tree falls, other forms of life will move in and inhabit that space, but I never actually thought about how this part of a tree's life is vital to its ecosystem. This sculpture was a very imaginative way of injecting an element of nature into a city environment. I wonder how many people actually realize when they see this tree that would seem out of place, that the city in which they inhabit is the one that is naturally out of place, and that trees like these were removed to make way for the urban environment.