Grasslands (eng)

7007 Oaks in Thorum
In Thorum, the residents were not interested in new art works, per se. They were
content with things as they were. Nonetheless some of the residents had been
working for years on establishing a village forest. When we met the residents of
Thorum, the project had unfortunately stalled, due to a lack of financial support.
So what could Grasslands contribute here?
Our point of departure was to create works based on something that was already
in progress. So it was obviously a good idea to derive inspiration from the
village forest if a new art work for Thorum was to become a reality. With the idea
of continuing the German artist Joseph Beuys work 7000 Oaks, the vision of the
village forest was revived and simultaneously an artistic dimension was added
that aspired beyond the village boundary. This suggestion for an art work was
accepted by the residents of Thorum with a sigh of relief. After all, it would only
be seven stones, and it could have been much worse!
We met with the State Horticulturalist in Skive, who gave the final push in
the securing of financial support. 7000 trees were planted on the former sports
grounds in the centre of the village, and in connection with a small get-together
where we brought coffee and cakes, the last seven oak trees were planted in an
area decided by the residents, close to the entrance to the village. Nordic Granite
in Skive had proudly raised the metre high basalt stones just before and now, surrounded
by the presence of history unfolding, they silently witnessed the event.
Consequently Thorum and the Fursund region are now connected to the
worldwide art project 7000 Oaks that Beuys initiated in 1982 in the German city
of Kassel. He did this by placing a pile of 7000 basalt stones in front of the city
museum. As oak trees were planted around the city by residents, the basalt stones
where one by one erected as a marker for the freshly planted tree. Beuys idea
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