ARENA FOR A TREE Venice
An art intervention by Klaus Littmann
Arsenale Nord, Venice
16 April – 31 July 2024

Presented by Kulturstiftung Basel H. Geiger I KBH.G in collaboration with European Cultural Centre

On 1 August 2024, during the blue hour, the ARENA FOR A TREE art intervention concluded after three and a half months. The return trip on the water against the unique backdrop of Venice marked the end of the project. The public had the opportunity to watch this fascinating spectacle from the mainland.

The journey – pushed by a barge – from the historic Arsenal North to the port of Marghera took around three hours. The pontoon on which the wooden “Arena for a Tree” stands measures 21 by 21 metres – the art installation with the three bald cypresses in its centre weighs 50 tonnes.

The arena’s final location is in the tree museum of Enzo Enea, laid out in a 75,000 square metre park near the Obersee part of Lake Zurich in Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland. This means that the “Arena for a Tree” will remain open to the public, offering space for the presentation of further trees of the future. The three bald cypresses will put down new roots outside the pontoon and may even recall their appearance in Venice a hundred years from now.

This summer, the 60th Art Biennale in Venice was enriched by the art project “Arena for a Tree”. The floating platform near the international exhibition united architecture, sculpture and a stage. Its permeable wooden structure is reminiscent of a tree’s annual rings and can accommodate around fifty people. In the centre stood three bald cypresses, symbols of rootedness and adaptability. Inspired by the main exhibition of the Biennale entitled “Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere”, “Arena for a Tree” not only explored the themes of migration and identity but also conveyed an important message about climate change and sustainability. For the art installation in Venice, landscape architect Enzo Enea chose the bald cypress (Taxodium distichum). It is considered a climate-resistant tree because it thrives in warmer climates and in short- and long-term flooding with fresh and salt water. It has the extraordinary ability to soak up flood water, prevent erosion, and cool and clean the air. These characteristics make it particularly resilient to the challenges of climate change that Venice also faces. Over entire geological eras, it was native to various regions of the world.

Photos: Federico Vespignani, Federico Pilli; Drone pilot: Claudio Martin and David Marosa

Photos: Federico Vespignani, Federico Pilli; Drone pilot: Claudio Martin and David Marosa

Photo: Federico Vespignani

Photos: Federico Vespignani, Federico Pilli; Drone pilot: Claudio Martin and David Marosa

Photo: Federico Vespignani

Photo: Federico Vespignani