zine Freedom intertwining

In the Freedom Intertwining series of works, I explore the nature of collectivism and individualism in communities of living organisms, mentally drawing parallels with conformity and nonconformity typical of humans. This correlation allows me to call into question the common assumption that man is distant from nature.

While walking through the mountainous areas, I noticed that the trees follow the contour of the hills and look like a comb over haircut. But why don’t the strongest ones get ahead and grab more sunlight for themselves? They are all the same height, they are well-matched like they were selected. It turns out that such cohesion occurs mainly in forests at middle and northern latitudes. Trees hold off growing higher than others because there is a high risk of being bent by the wind or having their crowns frozen. Even though they compete with each other for resources, including light, they gain much more profit by sticking together and ignoring the majority rule. Because in this case they have the opportunity to make the most of all resources, both internal and external.

Lonely trees can be found, but they are the utmost rare. They have to grow slowly to be lower and stronger. They continuously expose their branches and bark to the physical effects of the wind. Because there are no relatives nearby to warn of impending danger, they rely only on themselves and their intuition.

When I look at the shape of the trees intertwining in the area where I live and in other areas where I sometimes travel, I see similarities in behavior strategies and characters.