In the Dream of Trees is the project of a sculptural installation by visual artist Mario Valdés that integrates photographs on glass with plant materials and an immersive sound environment, conceived for the Arte Laguna Prize.
The objective of this exhibition proposal is to invite the public to reflect on the ability of trees to feel and, therefore, to have emotions and consciousness. It also aims to raise awareness about the climate emergency that we are causing with our overexploitation of natural resources. To achieve this, it constructs an aesthetic space for reflection on the perception of reality and creates a resonance between two transcendent elements: the Soul of the World and the Individual Soul.
The installation consists of a space measuring 4 meters wide by 4 meters deep by 3.5 meters high, occupied by a series of similar sculptures. Each sculpture is constructed using a burned tree trunk (Pine), 3 meters in height and 15 cm in diameter, anchored to the ground by a steel base. At 140 cm from the base, all trunks have been hollowed out by 40 cm of wood, and in their place, 3 pieces of flat glass measuring 40 cm in height, 5 mm in thickness, and with a length equal to the diameter of the tree trunk, are inserted.
Two of these pieces are made of REFLECTASOL® glass, and a third (occupying the central position) is laminated glass onto which a photograph of vegetation printed on an acrylic sheet has been adhered.
The ensemble of burned trees is placed on a surface covered with dry leaves, and the auditory space is filled with an installation of ambient sounds of nature (birdsong, wind, storm, rain...)."
