“The Blue Trees is a social art action. 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. Colour is a powerful stimulant, a means of altering perception and defining space and time. The fact that blue is a colour that is not naturally identified with trees suggests to the viewer that something unusual, something out of the ordinary has happened. It becomes a magical transformation.” - K. Dimopoulos
About The Blue Trees:
The Blue Trees is an International art project that is now in four countries. Albuquerque will be the seventh city in the USA to host the project. The purpose of The Blue Trees is to bring awareness to global deforestation. Konstantin Dimopoulos stated, “As Purveyors of water, consumers of carbon, treasure houses of species, the world’s forests are ecological miracles. They must not be allowed to vanish.” Konstantin also feels strongly about the connection of The Blue Trees and the community; providing an opportunity to enrich the City’s cultural fabric, promoting tourism, providing a legacy of community engagement, and bringing awareness to the role of trees in City Beautification, and for environmental sustainability.
Conserve Energy and Save Money!
Suzanne Probart, executive director of Tree New Mexico, recognized the impact that the electric blue trees made in the landscape when first looking at the photos – it is shocking, but in a good way. “I immediately saw the connect between the blue trees and our Energy Conservation and Trees Program that brings attention to nature’s way to conserve energy,” Suzanne said. The Energy Conservation and Trees Program provides shade trees to residential homeowners, affordable housing and commercial sites.
Sponsor a Tree, Volunteer to Paint!
Opportunities to participate in this exciting international art project
are offered to businesses, groups and
individuals! We encourage you to participate by sponsoring one of the blue
trees to be painted, and by volunteering to paint at one of the locations.
Please go to Tree New Mexico’s website at www.treenm.com and
register your sponsorship and volunteer!!!
The Blue Tree Locations:
There will be multiple sites around the city to see the magic of The Blue Trees. The following locations are being scheduled – details to come soon: Downtown at the 4th Street Mall, the island in the big lake at Tingley Beach, and Grisham Park.
The Colourant
The colourant used on the trees has been developed specifically for this project. It is not paint. It is a biologically-safe ultramarine mineral pigment in a water base. The colourant is safe for plants, animals, insects, humans and waterways, and is classified as a non-hazardous substance by the Australian National Occupational Health and Safety Committee.
Incorporated in 1990, Tree New Mexico is recognized locally and nationally for its urban and rural tree planting efforts. Since January 1991, Tree New Mexico and its partners have planted over 1,200,000 trees in New Mexico and on Navajo Land in Arizona.