The Great Tree Piece

Claudia Larcher’s The Great Tree Piece moves in the field of tension between nature observation, digital image production and artistic research.

What do we see when we look at a tree? And what do we not see? In The Great Tree Piece, we embark on a visual journey along a single tree – from the highest point of its crown to deep into the hidden network of its roots. In the process, a multi-layered space opens up between perception, our relationship to nature and artistic interpretation. Puzzle-like bark structures, multiplied algorithmically, give rise to ornamental pictorial spaces that oscillate between naturalness and abstraction. The camera penetrates the surface of the visible and, in radical macro shots, approaches the biological microstructure.

In this way, Claudia Larcher creates a visually sensual space of experience in which the relationship between humans, technology and the environment is renegotiated.At the same time, the film is a reflection on the medium itself: the continuous movement of the camera refers to the idea of film as a time-based art that allows meaning to unfold in layers. The vertical axis of the narrative – from the light-filled treetop to the dark soil, permeated by fungi and mycorrhiza – can also be understood as a symbolic drilling down into the hidden, often overlooked zones of life.At the end, the camera returns to the treetop. There, the leaves begin to move, accompanied by a fine hissing sound that resembles an echo of life. This moment is reminiscent of the tree’s breath and makes it tangible that all living things are interconnected. An image of nature as an interconnected system emerges – an idea that is also becoming increasingly important in the current discussion between art, ecology and technology.

The Great Tree Piece is thus not only a visual study, but also a critical questioning of the representation of nature in the digital age. The artistic-performative gesture creates new perspectives on what a tree is, can be or has always been: a place of transformation, relationships and memory.