Installation view of “Tree Zone” from Kunsthal Charlottenborg, 2008
© Nicolai Howalt and Trine Søndergaard

I’ve featured some of Nicolai Howalt and Trine Søndergaard’s collaborative work previously on the blog. Pretty recently, though, their websites were updated to include a new project entitled Tree Zone.

In a series of images the artists have captured the barren landscapes found in areas along the Nordic timber line during winter. In this marginal land you see solitary trees weighed down by snow. The trees are bent and stunted by their harsh environment. Human forms may appear, but they seem insignificantly small within the vast, white nothingness.

Tree No. I, 2008 (from “Tree Zone”)
© Nicolai Howalt and Trine Søndergaard

Tree No. IV, 2008 (from “Tree Zone”)
© Nicolai Howalt and Trine Søndergaard

The images represent a humanization of nature: Trees figure as human symbols in a series of ”tree portraits” together with larger panoramic landscapes in monumental formats. In this way a suspense is created between immense, impenetrable space and singular, isolated trees.

Tree No. IX, 2008 (from “Tree Zone”)
© Nicolai Howalt and Trine Søndergaard

Tree Zone No. II, 2008 (from “Tree Zone”)
© Nicolai Howalt and Trine Søndergaard

See more of Nicolai’s work here and Trine’s here. Both sites showcase their collaborative projects.

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