Peter Krsko

The installation titled Para Z by Peter Krsko examines relationships between trees and humans. Are they mutualistic or parasitic? This particular installation consists of the old majestic tree and the pre-fabricated modules. The modules are also made of wood, but the contrast with the tree is striking. The tree is an old, weathered witness to the immediate life on this street. Its trunk is hard and heavy. The modules represent the modern manufacturing and fabrication methods. They are stream-lined, sterile, straight, light and soft. There are many of them and they are repeating. The tree may be dead but it is still a functional member of the local urban ecosystem. When its branches were cut off, it became less inviting to the birds. It is harder for them to sit on it, to nest on it, to be protected by it. However, immediately after the pre-fabricated modules were installed, the birds took a new interest in the tree. They came back. It is not easy to determine whether the modules are a parasitic component of the installation, or if a mutualistic symbiosis was created, when they became the new branches. The old beautiful organic tree and the sterile-looking assemblies live together in great contrast, yet they complement each other and elevate each other to new heights. Let’s celebrate our relationship with the trees.