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parn:arboreal_identity_for_trees [2013-04-16 14:47] alkanparn:arboreal_identity [2013-04-17 08:08] (current) – Page name changed from parn:arboreal_identity_for_trees to parn:arboreal_identity maja
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 We began each day of the workshop surveying various trees in the The Sonian Forest (Forêt de Soignes/Zoniënwoud) and in the city of Brussels (Brüsel/Broeksel). Following the practice of establishing a natural persona, we investigated available bureaucracies and social systems to find the age, name or gender of our chosen trees. In many cases, trees already maintain a functional and legal relationship with their environment. They produce oxygen, food and fertile soil; they may be catalogued and belong to the King. In Belgium, trees can be owned by a person, an organisation or an institution. In viewing their legal position in terms of preserving interests, there is a wide range of “users” or those who benefit from the trees' existence and may have a stake in their welfare.  We began each day of the workshop surveying various trees in the The Sonian Forest (Forêt de Soignes/Zoniënwoud) and in the city of Brussels (Brüsel/Broeksel). Following the practice of establishing a natural persona, we investigated available bureaucracies and social systems to find the age, name or gender of our chosen trees. In many cases, trees already maintain a functional and legal relationship with their environment. They produce oxygen, food and fertile soil; they may be catalogued and belong to the King. In Belgium, trees can be owned by a person, an organisation or an institution. In viewing their legal position in terms of preserving interests, there is a wide range of “users” or those who benefit from the trees' existence and may have a stake in their welfare. 
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 +<html><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/foam/8112747881/" title="L1005573 by _foam, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8469/8112747881_ab0b882ea1_c.jpg" width="532" height="800" alt="L1005573"></a></html>
  
 The fieldwork inevitably led to many whimsical, practical and philosophical questions. What would it mean if trees had rights and duties? What if trees organised themselves into a political party – the “Party of the Silent” for example? Could a tree be wrapped in a corporation? How can we determine the “intention” behind a signature? Are leaves and ink compatible? Does inserting human DNA into a tree change its claim to personhood? We answered these questions using our botanical and legal knowledge, intuitions, assumptions and information available in the public domain (realising that there isn't much readily accessible online). The answers became elaborate stories that pointed to real possibilities. If a tree needs to be protected, for example, we can create a corporation to own the tree and fight for its rights. Nationality is irrelevant for trees, but arboreal identity might include documenting the tree's genealogy, geographic origins, information about whether its species is native or imported and (non)invasive. One central question that we kept returning to was whether establishing legal identity for trees would enhance the personal relationships between humans and trees. Alongside the existing a human and artificial personaes, we began to build a basis for an "arboreal persona."  The fieldwork inevitably led to many whimsical, practical and philosophical questions. What would it mean if trees had rights and duties? What if trees organised themselves into a political party – the “Party of the Silent” for example? Could a tree be wrapped in a corporation? How can we determine the “intention” behind a signature? Are leaves and ink compatible? Does inserting human DNA into a tree change its claim to personhood? We answered these questions using our botanical and legal knowledge, intuitions, assumptions and information available in the public domain (realising that there isn't much readily accessible online). The answers became elaborate stories that pointed to real possibilities. If a tree needs to be protected, for example, we can create a corporation to own the tree and fight for its rights. Nationality is irrelevant for trees, but arboreal identity might include documenting the tree's genealogy, geographic origins, information about whether its species is native or imported and (non)invasive. One central question that we kept returning to was whether establishing legal identity for trees would enhance the personal relationships between humans and trees. Alongside the existing a human and artificial personaes, we began to build a basis for an "arboreal persona." 
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 <html><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/foam/8112790942/" title="L1005622 by _foam, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8186/8112790942_fc6175ab4f_c.jpg" width="800" height="534" alt="L1005622"></a></html> <html><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/foam/8112790942/" title="L1005622 by _foam, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8186/8112790942_fc6175ab4f_c.jpg" width="800" height="534" alt="L1005622"></a></html>
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-<html><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/foam/8112747881/" title="L1005573 by _foam, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8469/8112747881_ab0b882ea1_c.jpg" width="532" height="800" alt="L1005573"></a></html> 
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