ANNU WILENIUS
 Fir-tree project: An Experiment in Public Vandalism

It all started in Reykjavik. One dusky June night I planted two small fir-tree saplings in a public park. The reason for this gesture was to test people’s attitudes towards the landscaping of the environment. What degree of importance did they attach to how their surroundings were designed, whom they were designed by, and with what intentions? Is it vandalism to plant trees in a public place without permission?

I was also interested in Icelanders’ attitudes to the fir-tree itself. In Finland, as in other Nordic countries, it is almost considered to be the national tree; in Central Europe it represents untamed nature, a kind of symbol of authenticity. The national landscape of Iceland, on the other hand, is basically open and treeless.