Stephan Goldrajch’s Arbre à palabres weaves in human relationships

Arbre à palabres, a participatory art installation by Israeli artist Stephan Goldrajch conveys the need for community and the socialising nature of the human spirit. Exhibited at EMST, the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens, the installation will remain on display from 15th December 2021 to 22nd May, 2022. Arbre à palabres is a collaborative artwork that has used pieces from different individuals and woven them around a tree; it reflects on the emotions and nuances of socialisation. After the painstaking isolation the pandemic had set forth, the importance of human connection became an integral requirement. Typical to human nature, social interaction has been one of the biggest evolutionary and technological boosters throughout history. Socialisation continues to dictate major aspects of our lives and has dictated it for thousands of years.

Trees throughout history have been integral to our social communities; in many cultures trees are where people gather, interact, learn and share. Similar to the sacred fig in India or Tree of Hippocrates from ancient Greece, the Palaver tree from Africa holds a lot of importance for the residents of African villages. The tree, the heart of the community, fosters conversations, political dialogue and instils learning. Taking cues from the themes of trees and human connection, Israeli artist Stephan Goldrajch creates Arbre à palabres, a 6-metre high Palaver tree that has been given a lease of new life through a collaborative weave of colours. Using pieces of crochet, knitting and weaving of multiple colours the tree is layered with different textiles, fabrics and dangling threads that come together in one homogeneous product. These pieces have been created by people of all ages and social backgrounds from around Athens, each stitch tells a personal story and every weave brings these stories together under one tree, allowing them to evolve into contemporary artists.

Arbre à palabres, with its bright and beautiful colours, textures, patterns and layers, radiates a bohemian aura that encompasses the stories of multiple individuals. This collaborative effort opens up the doors to a more accepting and inclusivity. Born in Israel and based out of Brussels, Belgium Stephan Goldrajch works with many mediums like textiles, texts, drawings and recycled materials. His work focuses on human relationships while drawing inspiration from ancestral techniques and practices, his work reflects on shared heritages. Goldrajch often works with individuals who aren’t mainstream contemporary artists, still being able to create something new and interesting, that is born from understanding and collaboration.