BIENNALE BLUE TREES

There are blue trees in Richmond. I have not color enhanced these photos. We drove past these yesterday and though we were more than a block away, they were practically glowing. Does blue glow? These did. They're almost neon.

It's part of the Vancouver Biennale Public Art Exhibition. You can see some other pictures here at the Vancouver Biennale Blog.

Trees in Garden City Park to turn blue

By Matthew Hoekstra - Richmond Review

Published: March 16, 2011 3:00 PM

Trees in Garden City Community Park will begin turning blue today as part of a Vancouver Biennale public art exhibition.

Australian artist Konstantin Dimopoulos is scheduled to spend five days in the park creating The Blue Trees, an installation meant to spark discussions about global deforestation.

“Through colour I am making a personal statement about the spirituality of trees and their importance to our very survival: trees are the lungs of the planet,” said Dimopoulos in a news release.

According to the Vancouver Biennale, the colour used on the trees is biologically safe pigmented water. The colour will naturally fade and the trees will revert to their natural state.

Dimopoulos will return to Richmond April 7 to deliver a lecture as part of the Lulu Art in the City series. That event is set for 7 p.m. in Richmond City Hall council chambers. Admission is free; reserve seats at lulu@richmond.ca.

Do you recognise that City of Richmond saw horse? I'm pretty sure that was the one they used to block off the digger in the ditch earlier this year.

I like and support the arts, but I'll admit, I've not liked a lot of the past Biennale art in Metro Vancouver. And I cringe at how much money tax payers are spending on this when so many important programs are being cut and woefully mismanaged. But that's another rant for another day. This is about the blue trees. Did I mention that they are blue? I think it's more interesting than not.

Richmond, come for the rain and the likely liquification of our soil in a decent sized earthquake, stay for the weird stuff.