When returning from my ARA (Arts Research Africa) residency in Johannesburg, earlier than planned due to the covid-19 outbreak and all the restrictions related to it, I had to stay in quarantine at home for 14 days. In the B&B where I stayed there, I performed more or less daily with the huge Irish oak in the yard (see blog post), and even edited a small video of that practice, available here. After a week or so at home I realized I could continue with a similar practice together with the maple tree in the yard here in Helsinki. And I have continued with that, even though my personal quarantine is over. The general restrictions, and the quarantine of the whole Uusimaa region continues, however, and prevents me from going to Stockholm, for instance, if I would like to – and I am not at all sure that I would, right now.
So what is the practice? I stand for a moment with the maple tree, mostly in the mornings, trying to balance on my toes with arms stretched towards the sky, an exercise called becoming a tree, and call it my Corona diary. The diary is archived as still images on the RC here
I have not decided how long I will continue, now that I can meet other trees as well, like the unremarkable pine in Brunnsparken that serves as a kind of pen pal, like the small pine on Hundudden that I miss and cannot meet now, at least not for a while. I also paid a visit the Spruce of Harakka Island, remarkable because it is the only spruce tree on the island, and decided to visit it every now and then. The maple in the yard is perhaps not so interesting in itself, it functions more like a companion for my practice of balancing. But I do like to see its new leaves burst forth with the spring. Perhaps they will make the diary more interesting…