7000 Oaks to be Planted in Second Life

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.