Nils Udo’s environmental art is created in nature, by nature. As a whole, Udo’s work displays nature as a background for and element of art itself, connecting it to humanity through installations that will eventually disappear.
The Radeau d’Automne (2013-2014) is a famous piece by Udo, a sculpture in the shape of a half-maple leaf above water. First, this piece is powerful simply because of its sheer size. Standing 6.80 m long and 3.90 m high, this piece makes the view feel that nature is powerful, daunting. This effect also resonates because the maple leaf itself is made of large round trunks of wood, seemingly very sturdy and strong.
Udo also utilizes a lot of negative space in this piece so the viewer can see through the leaf onto the vegetation and rock behind it. Because the image of this piece is taken from so far away, the viewer again can sense its huge size and the power that the nature has. Further, the lighting in this particular image highlights the leaf directly and its reflection, which is so clear the leaf looks almost whole. This lighting and reflection emphasizes the connection between wood and water, I believe trying to make the viewer feel that importance and the symbiotic relationships that exists in our environment.
Finally, Nils Udo’s personal views are depicted in this piece, for example in the fact that we must be compliant with the laws of nature. Radeau d’Automne shows this because the piece itself is created by the reflection that the water can be solely attributed to. Udo also iterates through his art that we are society and nature are connected, clearly in that his installations, while made of natural materials, are still man-made, no matter how small the artist’s intervention.
Source: http://www.nils-udo.com/kunst-in-der-natur/
Media and Environment Blog 