T.R.E.E.

PREFACE

First, We do thank Globe Aroma, its team and artists, for all the time and energy you invested to talk to and share with us. We found the the concept of Globe Aroma as an open art house to fully live up to its name. We highly appreciate the trust we encountered particularly within the context of the recent police raid at Globe Aroma and the following campaign “One Alarm – Many Voices”. Thank you!

Second, building upon the finding of this research we propose the implementation of an art project that is reflecting the structural particularities of Globe Aroma. Moreover, it is designed to increase the resilience of both the external and internal family that is Globe Aroma in an attempt to address the increasingly volatile political environment concerning migration in Brussels.

Third, this proposal was presented to the management of Globe Aroma represented by Els Rochette and Brecht Theunis, on March 16^th 2018 by Bas Dikmans, Janine Santos and Sebastian Woitsch. Both our research and the proposal were appreciated with the proposal T.R.E.E. being applauded. As the short visualisation of the proposed process (see video below) being completed after the meeting, we agreed to forward the entirety of our research in form of the completed website till the end of the month.

CONTEXT

Art is about the capacity to imagine alternatives.

Ben Okri

It is fair to say that this research issued quite a challenge to us. Us – that is a conceivably versatile group of people originating from 5 countries on 3 continents who barely knew each other before embarking on an uncertain adventure in an all but familiar environment.

It soon became obvious that, in this respect, we shared some common ground with the artists we met at Globe Aroma. Researching and understanding the modus operandi of Globe Aroma thus went hand in hand with carefully observing the dynamics of this research group itself as insights out of both spheres turned out to be reciprocal indeed.

The assignment to develop an informed recommendation how to improve current processes and to sketch a way forward provided us with yet another challenge. In light of our findings as researchers and inspired by our interactions with both the management and the artists of Globe Aroma, we mutually concluded that for a recommendation to fit into the given framework of current dynamics at Globe Aroma, any such concept must feature a distinct focus on creative and innovative forms of individual expression.

One recurring aspect during our visits was the notion of a family. The feeling of belonging constitutes one of the the essential features of the open art space Globe Aroma provides. In our quest for an icon best describing such processes, the image of a tree soon captured our imagination. A living organism itself, a tree provides shelter, protection, a place to gather and debate, and to recharge. The roots of a tree not only provide access to water – the fundament of all life – but also connects it to its surroundings. The more branched the roots are, the healthier the tree is. Since the first days of human civilization, trees have been seen as the embodiment of knowledge, wisdom, resistance and life itself.

Moreover, the social fabric within the confines of Globe Aroma as spatial entity seems to be able to function on the basis of a flat hierarchy. Apart from the necessary managerial level, the visitors of Globe Aroma acknowledge each other’s presence and relevance as equal. Hence we inferred that any proposed intervention must be artistic in both form and action.

In combining our findings, the governing features of Globe Aroma and the metaphorical characteristics of a tree we hereby humbly recommend, propose and present an art project as follows for your consideration:

T.R.E.E.

Together. Resistent. Encouraged. Empowered.

IMPLEMENTATION

Globe Aroma creates a website – featuring a tree. The process of designing the tree can already be subject to cooperation between the visual artists of Globe Aroma. Globe Aroma then invites all of its members, artists, volunteers and employees to create/design one leaf. Each leaf consists of a piece of artwork, be it a song, a video, a poem, essay or comment. In designing his/her leaf each artists performs an act of putting down roots. He or she becomes part of a family(-tree). The act of joining might also be conducted anonymously. The contributor nevertheless then belongs to a greater community that is more than just the sum of its parts. The digital embodiment not only allows for a great variety of genres to be added as leaf such as videos and animations, it also facilitates sustainable growth.

However, we do hereby suggest that the implementation of any digital version shall be accompanied by a series of analogue events. Such symbiosis strengthens the bonds between the members of the community that is represented by/through the tree. The three annual events of Globe Aroma seem to provide a suitable environment to implement such transcending happenings. They also represent a countermeasure to any perceived aura of clicktivism web projects frequently are accused of.

OUTCOME

The project will affect the work of Globe Aroma on various levels:

ONE The project strengthens the social coherence of Globe Aroma as open art space. It generates a sense of identity that will enable the participants to self-confidently express themselves within and beyond the space of Globe Aroma.

An expansion stage could see the different leafs be used as personal digital gallery-space for each artist, especially artists without the means to setup their own website. They thus receive the opportunity to present themselves and their work to a much larger audience

TWO The project provides versatile opportunities to widen the existing network of Globe Aroma and expands it digital reach. It adds a unique feature to Globe Aroma’s digital presence and allows it to push forward beyond the confines of its actual space in Brussel into the digital realm.

THREE The project also challenges the abilities and competencies of its employees and artists alike. In creating digital leafs, artists might gain competencies that will allow them to navigate the maze of an ever more digitalized and connected world of super-diversity with more confidence.