Ingenious Land Art Installations For Larger-Than-Life Inspiration, Look to Nature

Estelle Chrétien, a French artist, draws attention to the natural world with her quirky interventions. Whether “sewing” a rift in a grass or placing a property tag on a rolling hill, Chrétien’s land art makes viewers consider how we use nature and what role it plays in our lives.

Les pieds au sec, Chrétien’s partnership with artist Miguel Costa, examines the vital function that trees play in environmental preservation. Their roots not only prevent soil erosion but also aid in sediment filtering and water quality improvement. The clay boot fitting to the tree’s base mimics what’s happening beneath the surface, and Chrétien refers to these trees as “giants that work the Earth.”

Other works, such as Dessous, are inspired by the context in which they were created. The artist dresses a double-trunked tree in flowered panties for this creative installation, made during an artist residency at the Collectif des Possibles in France. This amusing decision is related to the residency’s placement in a former textile industry. In reality, the cloth for the underpants was made there.

Chrétien’s Propriété is a straightforward, effective declaration concerning land ownership. She turns a painted door and a metal ring into an ownership tag by placing them on a mountainside. Everything revolves around a fundamental question she presents. “This is private land, but what about the landscape?”

Her ephemeral installations, which are dismantled after a few months, embrace nature as an extension of our environment. “Everything is blended, that we are part of everything, nothing is external, there are no borders even if we create them everywhere,” she says. While she believes that art responds to changes rather than causes them, she hopes that these installations bring delight to individuals who view them.