Ancestor Trees

Ancestor Trees, 2022

Herman on Hornbeam

An archival photograph of my great-grandfather Herman, projected onto an ancient Hornbeam Tree.
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Erna on Yew

An archival photograph of my great-aunt Erna, projected onto an ancient Yew Tree.

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Marion on Ash

An archival photograph of a distant cousin Marion, projected onto an old Ash Tree.

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Hilda on Beech

An archival photograph of my grandmother Hilda, as a young woman, projected onto an old Beech Tree.
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Paul on Oak

An archival photograph of my grandfather Paul, as a young man, projected onto a very old Oak Tree.
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Sheila on Oak

An archival photograph of my grandfather Paul, as a young man, projected onto a very old Oak Tree.

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Sheila on Hazel

An archival photograph of my mother Sheila, as an old woman, projected onto an old Hazel Tree.
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Gerald on Hazel

An archival photograph of my father Gerald, as a young man, projected onto an old Hazel Tree.
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Annie on Beech

An archival photograph of my great-grandmother Annie, projected onto an ancient Beech Tree

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Erich on Yew

An archival photograph of my great-uncle Erich, projected onto an ancient Yew Tree.
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Sarah on Beech

An archival photograph of my great-grandmother Sarah projected onto a Veteran Beech Tree.
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Mary-Ann on Sweet Chestnut

An archival photograph of my great-great-grandmother Mary-Ann, projected onto a Veteran Sweet Chestnut Tree.

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These are single-exposure images. What you see in the photographs existed in front of the camera for a short period of time at dusk.

Trees hold a unique place in the human psyche, associated with mythology and mysticism going back thousands of years. There are deeply ingrained culture ideas of spirits or ancestors living in trees, and being in woodland evokes feelings of the past and the future.

Responding to these feelings, I projected archival photographs of my ancestors onto trees. The trees were found in the Southeast of England and selected for the power and energy they conveyed. These trees were mature when my ancestors were born and live long after they died. A human life is a fleeting memory in the life of a tree.

This work aims to reintegrate humans back into nature. Long ago, we were part of nature but, for centuries, we have kept ourselves separate from it.

andywiener.com

Ancestor Trees, 2022

Herman on Hornbeam

Erna on Yew

Marion on Ash

Hilda on Beech

Paul on Oak

Sheila on Oak

Sheila on Hazel

Gerald on Hazel

Annie on Beech

Erich on Yew

Sarah on Beech

Mary-Ann on Sweet Chestnut

andywiener.com