Becoming Tree
Artist book series by Shivangi Ladha & Aditi Babel
Text by Chhavi Jain
Becoming Tree is a collaborative artist book made by Shivangi Ladha and Aditi Babel, and supported by Experimenter Labs. The book contains powerful visuals and an extremely pertinent narrative on the dual issues of climate crises and female subjugation in contemporary times. The work tells the story of the Piplantri village in Rajasthan, India, and its people who are tackling these issues by installing unconventional systemic changes and policies to support women empowerment and augment environmental best practices. This compelling narrative is an important case study for the world to see the power of local legislations and activism in world building and enabling sustainable futures.
“An unpopular reality in the village of Piplantri ploughs its way to respond to the barrenness in the state of Rajasthan, India. A progressive yojana (or scheme) to plant 111 trees upon the birth of a girl child in the region strikes both, the socio-cultural aspect of an unbalanced sex ratio and the ecological concern of excessive deforestation. Inspired by this powerful narrative and executed with the collaborative process of printmaking and book art, the works enclosed are layered with artistic introspection and labour that seek to reach its readers.
The print, replete with instances of life, with motifs of a tree, a serpent, a female in a birthing position and flowers that seem to emerge from her, generate discourses of co-existence, fertility, growth and balance. The purple urges and red capacities reverberate through its folds and creases. And branch out to express the gradience of greys that encapsulate us. As is nature’s capacity to heal itself, the book’s journey from its source to form brings the tree-paper cycle to a full circle.”
-Chhavi Jain
