We recently carried out a tree climbing project with Rebecca from the University of Auckland. Rebecca is currently undertaking a DocFA candidateship and needed some help with setting up a time-lapse camera for her project. Rebecca wrote us a blog post about the tree climbing project. Learn about her studies and the project below.
Tree Climbing Project with Rebecca and Pro Climb:
My name is Rebecca and I am an artist who is currently undertaking a DocFA candidateship at the University of Auckland, for which I am making art works for ngā puia o Tāmaki Makaurau (The Auckland Volcanic field). Above all else this project advocates for the appreciation of ngā puia o Tāmaki Makaurau by raising their profiles with collaborative art works that creatively celebrate the specifics of these precious sites. In this work I have had the opportunity to collaborate with many different people from various communities, including geologists, conservationists, archaeologists, and most importantly Māori.
One such person whom I have had the pleasure to work with is Rossy from Proclimb. I approached Rossy as I needed help to install a time-lapse camera onto one of our maunga and had devised that the most secure and non-obstructive place would be in the upper branches of a towering tree. My plan was driven by conversations I had with the voluntary conservation group Friends of Maungawhau and our intent was to document human traffic and its effects on the summit of the maunga. We had located a Norfolk pine that was ideal for the job and I approached Rossy for guidance, as climbing in my Acrophobic self was out of the question, in our estimation this stately tree was at least 30 meters in height. When I approached Rossy and explained the kaupapa of the work his interest was peaked and his support has been unwavering.
I assisted Rossy with his climb to place the unwieldy bundle of time-lapse camera, solar panel and weatherproof casing in the canopy of the tree. Working as ground crew is as close as I have ever come to watching an arborist in action and I have to say that I was impressed, most of all by Rossy’s calm and considered way of working. He was able to preempt what would be needed and planned ahead so that when he was in the canopy of the pine he would be able to work in a safe and relaxed manner. I really enjoyed my morning working with Rossy not once felt like things would go wrong, in watching him I came to understand that he has never quite lost his youthful love for tree climbing.
I am happy to report that the time-lapse gear is working well and we have been receiving beautiful images such as the one below from the summit of Maungawhau. I look forward to seeing how this work gets resolved in the collaborative processes of working with community members such as Friends of Maungawhau and Pro Climb. And I am humbled by their contribution to my project and the joint appreciation that we share for ngā puia o Tāmaki Makaurau.
Contact Rossy and the Pro Climb Team Today
It was great working with Rebecca and we’re excited to see the results from her project. If you require a professional Arborist for your Tree climbing project, contact Pro Climb today by using the online contact form below or call Rossy at 09 3001422. Connect with Pro Climb for our latest updates on Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter.
