Hug a tree in Africa

A healthy and sustainable relationship between humans and the built and surrounding natural environment requires a deep rethinking of concepts and models. In this context the exploration of new forms of expression enabled by emerging technologies plays an important role. Through the Hug a Tree in Africa installation we are addressing artistic, scientific and technological aspects of the challenge of connecting people and places. This will promote a healthier and more sustainable relationship between humans and the natural environment. In this installation an instrumented tree detects and records videos of participants hugging a tree. These hugs are displayed locally as a video collage and are shared with other Hug@tree installations around the world, creating a global shared embrace of nature.