24 sculpted trees become giant colored pencils in south african land art installation

24 sculpted trees arranged as a set of colored pencils

‘Deus sive Natura’ (God or Nature) is a land art installation composed of 24 sculpted trees arranged as a set of colored pencils. Developed by artist Strijdom van der Merwe, owner Michael Silver, and arborist Lloyd Dambuza, the project examines the relationship between intervention, growth, and environmental transformation.

The title references a central concept from Baruch Spinoza’s 17th-century work Ethics, in which ‘God or Nature’ describes the idea of nature and divinity as a single, unified substance. This philosophical framework informs the installation’s treatment of landscape as both material and process.

The work is constructed from Water Oaks, a non-indigenous species in South Africa, located within a gorge where the trees absorb water flowing from the surrounding mountain terrain. The pruning strategy preserves the lower portions of the trees, allowing continued growth and foliage, while selected upper branches are shaped into the form of colored pencils.

Landscape is treated as both material and process

The intervention operates through selective alteration rather than complete transformation. The retained green sections emphasize the ongoing biological condition of the trees, while the sculpted branches establish a recognizable geometric and graphic composition within the landscape.

Conceived as an ephemeral work, the installation by artist Strijdom van der Merwe is intended to change over time through natural growth cycles and environmental conditions. Seasonal variation, regeneration, and continued plant development remain integral to the project’s evolving form.

project info:

name: ‘Deus sive Natura’ / God or Nature
designer: Strijdom van der Merwe | @strijdomvandermerwe, Michael Silver

location: South Africa