[spectre] Eva and Franco Mattes reenacting Joseph Beuys' "7000 Oaks"

[Franco Mattes]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Eva and Franco Mattes (a.k.a. 0100101110101101.ORG) reenacting Joseph 
Beuys' "7000 Oaks" in a synthetic world


Beuys' project begun on March the 16th 1982, at Documenta 7, in Kassel. 
His plan called for the planting of seven thousand trees, each paired 
with a columnar basalt stone. Beuys intended the Kassel project to be 
the first stage in an ongoing scheme of tree planting to be extended 
throughout the world as part of a global mission to effect 
environmental and social change.

The Mattes are reenacting Beuys' work "7000 Oaks", staging the new 
performance in the synthetic world of Second Life. The first virtual 
tree and stone were planted on March the 16th 2007, exactly 25 years 
after the original oak was planted.

The 7000 basalt stones have been stacked on Mattes' island in Second 
Life: Cosmos Island. The diminishing pile of virtual stones will 
indicate the progress of the project, which will go on until all 7000 
oaks and stones will be placed. Second Life inhabitants will have the 
chance to take part to the performance, placing stones and trees in 
their lands.

This work is part of Eva and Franco Mattes series of "Synthetic 
Performances": reenactment of historical performances inside synthetic 
worlds where body, space and time can be completely reinvented. The 
series started at the beginning of 2007 and will feature works by 
artists like Vito Acconci and Marina Abramovic.

"Joseph Beuys' 7000 Oaks" is commissioned by Centro de Arte Juan 
Ismael, Fuerteventura (Canary Islands, Spain), for the exhibition 
"Deambulatorios de una jornada, en el principio y el proyecto Tindaya", 
curated by Nilo Casares.


More information and contacts: www.0100101110101101.org