Alice Vink

“I didn’t know date palms can be found out here.” Paul says to the man.

“Oh… These aren’t indigenous. They can’t survive without me…” he continues. 

“Each one of these drinks every day the equivalent of five men…

Twenty date palms…

A hundred lives…”

 {scene from the movie Dune (2021)}

How far are we willing to push the boundaries of technology to shape our environment?

This work is inspired by the stories of three ancient and (almost) extinct tree species—the Wollemi Pine, the American Chestnut, and the Judean date palm—which have become dependent on humans for their survival. Scientific methods such as cloning, genetic modification, and resurrection were needed to ensure these unique trees could continue to live. But are these really the same old trees, or have we inadvertently created a new species—a tree which is no longer free from human interference?

Taking this line of thinking to the extreme, this work gives a glimpse of a future where these trees have co-evolved together with their human counterparts into fully tree-human hybrids, with characteristics such as hair, bones, flesh, and even a heartbeat.

Music credits

American chestnut: Jopie @jopie.leaks

Judean date palm: Camgurl @c_a_m_g_u_r_l

Wollemi pine: Yb3l & Kendu Bari @_yb3l_ & @kendu_bari