DAY 34
05.08.07
TREE 40Today’s climb was sort of a test. I chose a really young, skinny-trunked tree and climbed it like a rope. Kind of like the one I did before but this one was alone and not in a cluster. I wanted to see how high I could get before I felt like it was going to bend over and break. I climbed two trees but only marked one ‘cause I had to use my teeth and squeeze real tight with my legs to accomplish the feat. And I didn’t get too high. The tree really started to bend and I got nervous really fast. I always wondered if I got so high if it would just bend until I hit the ground. Would it be fast or slow? Or would it break before I hit the ground? What I’d really like to do is find one close to a bigger tree where once I got high enough on the little tree it would just lower me onto a branch of the big tree. I guess I’ll keep a look out for something like that.
5-8-08: Man, I can’t wait for you guys to read the entry and see the pictures from when I reclimb this tree….
Yesterday I took a trip up to Dublin, OH to check out some trees in a park. I’ve been asked to make some of my body shells for a sculpture park show. I am really excited about making some more casts and trying out some new materials to make it a more permanent and strong object that can stand up to the elements over time. I’ll be making 3, possibly 4 and I am very excited about the trees I’ve picked out. I climbed one of them. Here is a pic down the beautiful trunk:
And in the creek near by were ducks and little ducklings which were incredible swimmers:
Author: Todd Smith
Hi! I am an interdisciplinary artist and committed educator.
From 2007-2010 I climbed a tree everyday and documented the project with photography, video and writing on this blog. I am revisiting the trees and writing again starting March 2018. Stay tuned.
My work considers our collective impact on the urban environment. Projects range from community-based, data-driven projects interpreting bike usage into sound, photography and video series exploring human movement through urban structures and green spaces, and interactive sculptures that vary in their use of found materials, analog technologies, and emerging digital media.
I currently teach a variety of 2D, 3D and digital subjects at universities in the Louisville, Kentucky area.
