NEXT LA: Becoming Tree

Becoming Tree takes its inspiration from the legendary Aliso Tree, a 400-year-old sycamore that served as a meeting point and wayfinder for the Tongva people. Cut down by colonists in the late 1800s, the tree once stood in the heart of present-day Los Angeles; its unmarked grave buried under a ramp to the 101 freeway. In this video, the tree is reanimated, sprouting from the historic floodplain of the Los Angeles River; its branches morph and tangle through the urban landscape, breaking free through the holes of a chain link fence in the video’s final scene.

Alice Bucknell, Becoming Tree, 0:38 runtime, single-channel full-HD video file, 2023.