THE RE(A)D FOREST (2021)

The Re(a)d Forest, is a sound and light installation commissioned by the 34th Sao Paulo Biennale 2021. The installation consists of multiple columns of red light that bathe the visitor in sound and vibration when entered. The installation is an attempt to depict a forest from the perspective of a tree. The red light – a color that symbolizes rebirth and renewal in the Ogoni culture – is also the color that the trees “see”, thanks to the presence of phytochrome B, a photoreceptor protein that detects red light. As you wander into the light columns you are bathed in sound. But as you move between the light columns in the dark you experience faint harmonic chords and compositions because not only is each column a solo performer but Saro-Wiwa has created an experience where you hear compositions as you move between the light and sound ‘trees’. Your movements dictate your harmonic experience. In some sections of the forest there is the suggestion of babies crying, in others the sound of death. But it is the sound of breath that permeates the entire installation making this light forest feel like a living, breathing entity. The Re(a)d Forest is a space where walking meditations on how humanity and trees communicate and read one another unfolds. A space where the folkloric, scientific and emotional lenses converge, suggesting ways in which multiple ontologies vibrate in necessary harmony.