Tree Concert

Tree Concert by BUND (Friends of the Earth Germany), Berlin, Germany (2012)

I simply loved this project! It’s clever, unique and carries a great message and purpose.

BUND (Friends of the Earth Germany) ran a charity concert in Berlin to raise awareness of the 15,000 trees the city had lost over the last few years. A nearly 100-year-old chestnut tree was transformed into a street musician and played music for the preservation of all its fellow trees. When the first chestnuts in the Berlin park of Monbijou began to fall in early September 2012, a construction of membranes installed underneath the tree translated the bounce of every chestnut into sound sequences. In a harmonious concert with the wind and the creaking of the tree, a unique organic sound composition was created. Visitors were invited to listen to the concert and donate to the cause. If someone sent in a donation and name by text, the tree would thank the donor through a personal greeting that appeared on the installation. Online donors also received an exclusive downloadable track. The Tree Concert lasted for one week (17-23 September, 2012) and after the concert, Berlin DJ star Robot Koch produced a remix which continues to raise funds. 

The project was created by BBDO Proximity Berlin, Ketchum (PR), and a creative pool of artists from the Gang of Berlin. The campaign won a Gold Design Lion at Cannes International Festival of Creativity.