Triptych of a Tree

Poster, 11"x17", 2024

Chloe Leyao (She/Her), Bachelor of Design in City Innovation, 1st Year

Designed by Zuha Shahadat (She/her)

Artwork Description: The tree stands alone, meters away from others, surrounded by pavement. Movement almost revolves around the tree, due to the vicinity of the rainbow stairs, TFDL, and MacEwan Hall. Although it is barely, if at all acknowledged, it still absorbs the knowledge, energy, and care that humans give to it. Although it is a young tree, it contains the passing conversations of thousands of students, thousands of puffs of smoke, and the weathering of the pavement over its roots. The tree, although unassuming, contains the vibrancy of the student life of the university. 

Artist's Bio: Raised in Kelowna, I have developed my skills of graphic design and videos since I was in middle school first as a hobby, now as a part of my education. My interests lie in intricate and maximalist expression and I try to walk on the line between chaos and order to create vibrant but cohesive and clean compositions. In the future, I aim to provoke meaningful conversations around climate and class consciousness through my work. 

Artist's statement: I draw inspiration from anything vibrant, like posters, illustrations, and landscapes, to create color palettes for my work. For "SHIBUYA", me and my group members, Veronica Leonova and Jason Ho, took inspiration from vintage Japanese rail network maps to create a diagram that pops out. "Triptych of a Tree" was inspired by graffiti and spray paint. I also like to challenge myself by experimenting with new color palettes, like with "Flowing Patterns", which can change my approach to visualizing a narrative entirely.

Artist's contact info: 

Chloe Leyao (She/Her) | chloeleyao@gmail.com 

Zuha Shahadat (She/her) | zuha.shahadat@ucalgary.ca