The Use of Landscape 2020 began as a response to the deforestation situation in Romania. I learned about the importance of the forest from my great-grandfather, who left my family a true green treasure.
Juranlist investigations saw how forests and national parks in Romania are being cleared by large companies that use wood in their practices, such as Holzindustrie Schweighofer – HS Timber Group (Austrian), Ikea (Swedish), and many other Romanian companies. After the trees are cut, the landscape changes, and the forest takes on new forms, like a Land Art work, but in a destructive way.
I use images taken from Google Earth of deforested forests across the country because satellites are able to show changes in the landscape over years and and keep me away from dangerous places.The installation presents five logs on which I print satellite images of deforested areas and sound.
I like to think that logs keep in their hearts the last sound they heard before they died.
Each log contains the sound of a chainsaw. When all five sounds are heard together, they create an overwhelming and disturbing atmosphere the first instinct is to do anything to stop it.
Exhibition view of Art in Progress 2, curated by Iselin Huluba at the Institute, Bucharest, 2023.
Exhibition view of The Use of Landscape, curated by Alexandra Manole, with Michael Höpfner, at the Exhibition Space of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, 2021.