/ 28 August 2007

Arts student starts counting SA’s fake trees

Despite the perception that progress harms the environment, some efforts have been made to bridge the gap between the environment and the use of modern technology.

Many urban cellular network masts in South Africa are situated in areas lush with vegetation, which is why a number of them are dressed up as trees.

It is not known exactly how many antenna masts are disguised in this way. Now a master’s student in digital arts at the University of the Witwatersrand, Mitch Said, has started a project to calculate the relationship between technology and society.

“I want to generate interest and discussion around the intersections between technology, society and the environment in South Africa,” he told the Mail & Guardian Online.

TreeID.org.za presents an online map of South Africa, displaying the location of all the cellular antenna masts that have been disguised as trees.

“The creative and technical innovation comes in the work’s use of cellphones as tools of public documentation: when participants notice a tree, they are encouraged to photograph it with their cellphone camera and send in the picture via MMS,” Said explained.

The MMS picture of the fake tree will then be automatically positioned at its corresponding location point on the online map. This “locative art” project was conceptualised in December last year and it was officially launched on August 1 this year.

According to Said, by the end of last week there had only been five pictures submitted on the site — of which two were taken by him. “The project will go on at least until mid-September,” he said.

A spokesperson at Vodacom told the M&G Online that the first tree disguise was of a palm tree, designed by Brolaz Projects. Since then, many other suppliers have jumped on the bandwagon. Mast disguises take on different looks to fit their surroundings. Variations include pine trees, yellow-wood trees, even windmills and lighthouses, said the spokesperson.

Anyone who wishes to participate on TreeID.org.za must use the Vodacom network to send in photographs. However, Said insists that his project is not in any way affiliated with the cellular provider.

“I would love it to be compatible with all cellular services, but the restriction is the result of a technical — and financial, I suppose — limit. The location-tracking services that the project employs currently work only with Vodacom phones,” he said.

Asked about the reason for disguising the cellular masts, the Vodacom spokesperson said: “As a responsible corporate citizen, Vodacom designs base stations to aesthetically blend in with the surrounding environment.

“Various techniques are deployed, and in order to determine the most suitable design for base stations, Vodacom engages with local communities and planning authorities.”

According to Vodacom, relevant national government departments have since 1998 taken an active role in providing guidance on which structures would be most appropriate to suite the environment.

While Vodacom feels that the fake trees add an aesthetic value to the environment, Durban-based architect Alexia Cocolas finds the “trees” hideous. “I don’t even think they look like trees. I think that they should have left the antennas as they were so that we see them for what they really are,” she said.