Floyd Elzinga: Forest of Trees

"In “Forest of Trees”, I delve into the tension between individuality and interconnectedness by isolating individual trees from the forest while exploring their hidden connections. Crafted from steel and stainless steel, each sculpture is presented as a distinct, standalone entity, highlighting its unique form and personal narrative; a portrait of a tree. Yet, they encounter the irony that each isolated tree, despite its distinctness, ultimately contributes to a larger, unseen collective—a forest. Beneath the surface of these isolated figures, the roots and seeds remain a symbol of unseen, profound systems that ties them together. They suggest that while each tree may appear solitary, it is intrinsically linked to others, forming part of a vast and intricate ecosystem.

Becoming part of the forest implies a gradual blending, where individual identities subtly merge into a cohesive collective. The pinecones' symbolic potential and renewal, to further illustrate this concept has been included in my work over the past 15 years. What draws me to represent pinecones is they are complicated and simple. Pinecones  litter the forest floors of coniferous forests everywhere. They are admired and collected by children of all ages. Pinecones are complicated in their very structure; the Fibonacci sequence systematically places each scale and bract in the spiralling form of a pinecone. Individual pinecones house seeds that, when dispersed, have the potential to grow into new trees. In this sense, the pinecone is a solitary bearer of the promise of new life, a unique vessel carrying the potential for a new Forest of Trees. These seeds are emblematic of nature’s resilience and constant renewal. Through “Forest of Trees”, I forge the connection between singularity and collectivity, revealing how individual elements dissolve into and become indistinguishable parts of the collective." - Floyd Elzinga