On Listening to Trees

Spanish artists duo Albarrán Cabrera have a special relationship with nature. A source of inspiration, a photographic subject or an almost unreal setting, nature is always present in one way or another in their images. Like a common thread running through their work, trees are often represented: the shadow of a branch, the outline of foliage that has become abstract, or a twisting silhouette in the center of the frame. But trees are not the only subject of this book. The artists aim is to explore the relationship between man and nature in a broader sense, and to include literature, in particular the writings of Hermann Hesse, to give shape to their thoughts. A text by author and agronomist, Yves Darricau, on man’s historical complicity with trees through the ages, now endangered, completes the book celebrating their presence in our world.

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On Listening to Trees

Albarrán Cabrera’s poetic universe invites us to immerse ourselves in nature, in the land of trees. Time, memory and the beauty of the ephemeral are themes that run through their work. The series as a whole is expressed through a diversity of forms and locations, from solitary trees to lush vegetation, but also through very different photographic processes and textures. These images alternate between a palette of vivid colors, bordering on abstraction, and more monochrome or mordant tones, evoking a certain melancholy but also the fragility of the moment. Gold leaf sometimes enhances the composition, when a trace of silver doesn’t underline a reflection, plunging us into timeless landscapes. The result is a dreamlike, almost surreal world, unique to the Spanish duo. Far from idealizing nature, the photographers aim to magnify what already exists, taking us on a unique chromatic journey, combining an exceptional printing technique that only they are capable of inventing.

Two texts by German novelist, poet and painter Hermann Hesse punctuate this visual corpus. A text by Yves Darricau, agricultural engineer and author, tells the story of the relationship between man and trees, from prehistoric times to the present day, and how each has contributed to the development of the other in a relationship of interdependence that is now under threat. Through this work, the artists make us aware of the importance of trees facing the challenges of our time.

We believe that to be human is to understand nature not just as it really is, but also as we perceive it. If we are alert and observant, we will be able to understand it from these two standpoints. We are both seeing and been seen. When taking photographs, we are in a state of flow. We enter a state of consciousness that allows us to “See without looking, hear without listening, breathe without asking” in the words of W. H. Auden. We experience nature in a truly inclusive way, that is, we form a part of it. (…) When shooting these trees, we have learnt how to listen to them and to understand ourselves better.Albarrán Cabrera, excerpt from the book