A Still Life

By: Taryn Millar, Aarti Shah, Sarah Cairns and Tracy Megan

A Still Life (Part I) draws attention to six dead or dying trees in Cape Town and presents an alternative experience of mourning, loss and death through the lens of a tree. The trees parallel the relentless awareness of our mortality experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, while at the same time offering an antidote – a moment of beauty that reminds us of the cyclical nature of life.

A dying tree offers stillness in a fast-paced city environment. The symbiotic nature of its ecosystem also suggests there is still life in and amongst death. Like traditional still life artworks (natura morta) that immortalise dead natural objects this project pays homage to trees, the lungs of our cities.

Visitors journey by way of a digital map to the life story of each of the six trees and the human histories they have lived through. The map includes photographs of temporary site-specific art installations that provoke viewers to contemplate their own existence within a greater context.

Click here to start exploring the map.