Etienne Renzo has always photographed trees. Trees often associated with humans. So much so that all these trees are beginning to form a forest in which the plant and the human are hybridizing. Sensitive to the call of this forest, Etienne Renzo plans to devote part of his photographic activity to it, to create images and situations where a new history of our relationship with trees is invented. This will necessarily involve connecting to the different levels of reality in our relationship with trees. One of these is the magic of trees, with their very special energy, which comes through in Etienne Renzo's photography.

The power of the tree
The relationship between humans and trees is a complex one. Both aesthetic and existential. First and foremost, there's the issue of survival, in the city as in the country, where trees are clearly going to save lives as thermal regulators during heatwaves. But they can also be a lifesaver during the violent gales, storms and hurricanes that are beginning to take hold in our temperate landscapes. Trees also play a beneficial role in air quality by absorbing pollution. Trees also have the power to repair our souls and spirits, which have been tested by the frenzy of human activity. All of which adds to the magical dimension we're rediscovering today. But how can we experience, photograph and pass on the magic of trees?

The magic of trees
Reconsidering the tree as a living being, an intelligence or a consciousness, reclaiming it as a person or an entity, is part of the process. It also means reopening the magical space of the tree. This is a challenge for our societies, which have closed or restricted access to it. It takes us back to certain forgotten fundamentals of our own cultures, which it may be worth restoring. From one continent to the next, mankind has developed an intimate relationship with trees and forests, and some of us have preserved their culture and passed on their buried memories. Memories that can be reactivated through the energetic perception of trees. This is where the magic of trees lies. A magic not unrelated to that of images, through the crystallization of light they share. Etienne Renzo has experienced this. It's also what he wants to develop and transmit through his images.

New interactions...
For some, the simple act of observing and looking at a tree, even in a photograph or on a screen, can lead to an exchange with it. This surprising phenomenon has been tried out by researchers and artists with convincing results. It is not unrelated to the development of new cultures and new energetic wellness practices. Like the forest bath or tree contact that Etienne Renzo experimented with at the invitation of the Musée de l'Invisible, with which he collaborates. This can compensate for digital over-connection. This suggests new uses for trees, their images and their exhibitions. But is it even possible to connect to tree energies through images?

... for new series
It would seem so. But first of all, it needs to be experienced. This is one of the dimensions that Etienne Renzo explores in his project entitled "L'arbre magique", dedicated to trees and humans. Drawing on the experiences that introduced him to the subtle dimensions of trees and forests, he is currently developing a series of images in the form of tree portraits and feedback from interactions with humans. These are experiments in which photography is no longer merely a witness, but becomes the agent, as the photographer becomes a performer and sculptor of the situation. Notably through the practice of contact with trees, which he can use himself to produce his images. It's also a way of connecting with the restorative dimensions shared by trees and humans through the medium of images.

An exhibition in the shape of a forest
That's why it's so interesting, even important, to disseminate these trees and images. The aim is to show these new series in the form of exhibitions and various types of publications and editions. The exhibition will include several series of color or black and white shots in different formats and on different supports, depending on the location and the picture rail. Or even the surrounding trees. As if we were replanting trees/images in the form of an indoor forest. And possibly outdoors too. These exhibitions may be combined with lectures and workshops on photography and tree contact. This project is conducted in collaboration with the Musée de l'Invisible.