The Breathing Tree
We are proud to present “The Breathing Tree” by multimedia artist Donna Szőke: https://donnaszoke.com/
This reflective piece honours the ways in which our global OpenText community stayed connected and resilient while navigating one of the most challenging times in our history. It is a testament to the significant hardships and lives lost during the pandemic, and offers an introspective moment with nature, grounding us in our breath and reminding us that life, loss, love, and resilience are inextricably bound.
The tree is representative of how spending time in nature, near trees, helps us process grief. Spending time focused on our breathing also helps us move through grief. The Breathing Tree appears as a tree reflected, as if in a quiet moment near water. Yet, if we tip our perspective slightly, it also appears to be a pair of lungs. The colour of the lights can evoke a sunrise or sunset near water. It is also the colour of oxygenated and unoxygenated blood.
The best way to experience it is to spend time with it. The lights cycle through a four-step process: getting bright, staying bright, dimming, and staying dim. This cycle is a cue for the viewer to take the opportunity to breath along with the changing lights. This four-step breathing, also called box breathing, helps us to relax, to process grief, to ground ourselves in the moment. You can breathe along with the work whether you experience it in person or virtually.
This reflective piece honours the ways in which our global OpenText community stayed connected and resilient while navigating one of the most challenging times in our history. It is a testament to the significant hardships and lives lost during the pandemic, and offers an introspective moment with nature, grounding us in our breath and reminding us that life, loss, love, and resilience are inextricably bound.
The tree is representative of how spending time in nature, near trees, helps us process grief. Spending time focused on our breathing also helps us move through grief. The Breathing Tree appears as a tree reflected, as if in a quiet moment near water. Yet, if we tip our perspective slightly, it also appears to be a pair of lungs. The colour of the lights can evoke a sunrise or sunset near water. It is also the colour of oxygenated and unoxygenated blood.
The best way to experience it is to spend time with it. The lights cycle through a four-step process: getting bright, staying bright, dimming, and staying dim. This cycle is a cue for the viewer to take the opportunity to breath along with the changing lights. This four-step breathing, also called box breathing, helps us to relax, to process grief, to ground ourselves in the moment. You can breathe along with the work whether you experience it in person or virtually.