One beat, one tree 2012

interactive digital installation

Courtesy the artist’s estate

Presentation at the 23rd Biennale of Sydney (2022) was made possible with generous support from Penelope Seidler AM

The late Belgian artist Naziha Mestaoui used technology to make us aware of the interconnectedness of nature and how every action and decision we make impacts the world at large. Preoccupied with the climate crisis and the plight of Indigenous communities – who, in many cases, bear the brunt of climate change – Mestaoui devised projects where art not only serves as a tool to raise awareness but also has a tangible impact on the real world.

In One beat, one tree the visitor is encouraged to interact with the piece by stepping on a sensor that triggers the ‘planting’ of a digital seed. The sapling grows swiftly, encouraged by the visitor’s movements until it becomes a fully formed tree, which is incorporated in real-time into a digital forest.