CAG.3271 Clare Langan, The Heart of a Tree, 2020, HD digital film, 12:00 minutes. Purchased, 2023. © the artist. 

WORK OF THE WEEK! 

The Heart of a Tree (2020) by Clare Langan is a short film that contemplates our present through the lens of a dystopian future. 

The artist’s setting is a rolling landscape of hills and mountains that appear barren and windswept. The monochrome photography heightens the bleak atmosphere as three figures in protective white clothing begin to appear. The camera follows their movements as they negotiate their way through this inhospitable environment, harvesting air and planting trees on a deserted black beach.  

Is this a glimpse into a future world – or another planet entirely – in which humans cling to survival? Is it past the point of no return or does a glimmer of hope still remain? 

Exquisitely filmed by Langan and Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Robbie Ryan (b.1970), The Heart of a Tree features haunting music by the late composer Jóhann Jóhannsson (1969-2018).  

In its exploration of the disconnection between humankind and nature, the film suggests a future in which we have necessarily adapted in order to survive. 

Clare Langan (b.1967) is a significant Irish artist working within an international context. Her filmic work is often made in inhospitable locations and has been shown across the world, including at MoMA, Lyon Biennale, and Liverpool Biennial. In 2002, she represented Ireland at the 25^th Bienal de São Paulo and, in 2021, she was invited by Crawford Art Gallery to participate in Artists’ Film International with Flight from the City (2015). 

The Heart of a Tree (2020) by Clare Langan shows daily in our Screening Room (Floor 2) until 28 April. 

The Arts House: Tune into Cork’s 96FM / C103FM every Sunday morning as Conor Tallon and Michael Waldron discuss a new Work of the Week! 

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