The Atlantic magazine has teamed up with Superblue and artist Glenn Kaino to open a new immersive show called ‘A Forest for the Trees’ on 13 May in Los Angeles.
Created by Kaino, ‘A Forest for the Trees’ takes visitors on a journey through a surreal and magical forest, hidden inside a 28,000-square-foot space in downtown LA.
“It is my hope that this show can provide inspiration into how to connect and contribute to some of the most pressing issues of our time, in a dynamic and exciting way that our audience can take home with them,” Kaino said.
Featuring animatronic performing trees, illusions of fire and interactive sound sculptures, the show was designed to inspire guests to reimagine their relationship with the natural world.
It is inspired by The Atlantic’s editorial series ‘Who Owns America’s Wilderness?’, which launched last year with the cover story ‘Return the National Parks to the Tribes’.
Animatronic trees and interactive sound sculptures
The show also follows The Atlantic’s 165 years of writing on America’s natural spaces, which started with the work of Ralph Waldo Emerson, a co-founder of the magazine.
Bill Tripp, project consultant and director of the Department of Natural Resources for the Karuk Tribe, said the show “aims to inspire understanding of how fire exclusion has impacted the Karuk people and the natural environment”.
“I am thrilled that these issues will be explored in such an unprecedented manner through this show and brought to life in such interesting ways for a completely new audience,” he added.
Kaino has been working with artists, musicians, tribal leaders and environmentalists on ‘A Forest for the Trees’, organised in collaboration with Superblue‘s senior curator, Kathleen Forde.
“Glenn Kaino is a visionary artist, whose work is emblematic of the way artists can change how we see the world and each other,” said Mollie Dent-Brocklehurst, co-founder and CEO of Superblue.
“Superblue’s partnership with The Atlantic reflects our shared commitment to creating platforms for transformative projects such as this one.”
Images: The Atlantic/Superblue
