Wunderbaum

The installation is located on the first floor of the Plaines du Loup secondary school, and blends into three of the bays in the wall separating the entrance hall from the library.
On each element, three monumental glass plates, placed one behind the other in the thickness of the wall, are engraved with images of trees. Arranged in successive layers, these plates/trees are superimposed to form a forest, animated by side lighting on each edge of the panels. The engraved patterns catch the light, which in turn illuminates one or other of the panels. Trees appear and disappear like spectres, in a kind of hypnotic, meditative “fade-out”.
In autumn 2019, trees from the Lausanne region were selected and marked: their wood was to be used in the construction of the Plaines du Loup school building. Knowing that a tree takes several decades to grow, what remains of this substantial energy within the building once it’s built? Beyond the material transformed into parquet or panelling, does the life force of the felled tree remain in the architectural work, and influence the lives of users by contributing to the spirit of the place?
Without giving a definitive answer, the WUNDERBAUM installation evokes this question and pays homage to the plant world, from an animist perspective that considers all living things in their entirety.

This project is supported by the Fonds des Arts Plastiques de la Ville de Lausanne

Photos: Léonie Guyot