tree_16_on_pink by Hans Dehlinger

For Hans Dehlinger, the age of the metaverse is one of bright colors and bold shapes. In TREE_16_ON_PINK, the gnarled, graceful appearance of an ancient tree is combined with an expansive, rectangular-shaped crown that is visibly and deliberately designed for a 16:9 screen. By "growing" into the screen format, TREE_16_ON_PINK symbolically bridges nature and technology. Also, the "techno tree" appears to be glowing from within, but it could just be a heat haze. The natural and the artificial blend here as well.

“The pinkish sky and the tree’s shape invoke an image of a dry and dusty landscape. They exude the surreal beauty of what one would hope is just a spectacular sunrise and not impending doom. That sky is too evenly colored, though. Nature is still the basis. If it goes up in flames, technology will burn with it."

– Hans Dehlinger

Trees have been a subject of Hans Dehlinger’s generative artwork for over 20 years. TREE_16_ON_PINK is one of two new works created for the show TECHNO TERRAIN. NATURE IN THE AGE OF THE METAVERSE. It references earlier artworks of his with trees. Two of them, tree11 and baum_V14, were exhibited at SIGGRAPH in 2002.