Reflection Trees

The Reflection Trees are a community arts installation that encourages conversation, community bonding and the exchanging of perspectives. Created for the Rockhampton River Festival weekend in July 2024, hundreds of people wrote their reflections on paper leaves. They then hung these leaves from the branches of the trees, each card blossoming into a broader conversation and opportunity for shared storytelling.

Three meaningful questions, three trees made of LED lights and hundreds of hand-cut coloured paper leaves adorn the reflection orchard, creating an enchanting and heart-felt experience for festival-goers.

With open invitations to reflect on appreciation, gratitude and the future, many folks and families spent a long time in the Reflection Trees, reading what others had written and writing their own. I overhead several beautiful conversations throughout the weekend about how touched people were by the chance to slow down and spend time reflecting on the bigger questions of life. A few told me it made them cry. It was also a magical and very popular spot for festival-goers to get their pictures taken.

At the conclusion of the festival on Sunday night, we spent a couple of hours untying each of the hand-written leaves from the Reflection Trees. I've kept them in a big plastic box and they're a fortifying and uplifting collection of responses. Some of them are heart-breakingly beautiful. I'd love to do something in the future with the leaves - another creative project that reflects the values and attitudes of the people of Rockhampton! Just not sure what yet....