Arts Thread

The Belonging Tree is an interactive installation and web-based data visualization exploring identity, migration, and global interconnectedness through collective participation. Visitors were invited to draw "leaf pathways" between the countries that have shaped their sense of self, contributing their stories to a growing digital tree. The installation has two main components: A tree map visualization and a control panel. The tree map visualization is a stylized map in the form of a leafless tree oil painting of the world. There is a quote above the map that states: “Our routes become our roots, wherever our lives may lead us to be. Across continents and generations, part of one belonging tree.” 🌲🗺️ The control panel is what the user interacts with. The user selects the different countries that have shaped their sense of identity. Based on the selection of the countries, a unique color is given to the user. Using this unique color, the user then draws a leaf and hits ‘submit’. A trail of user’ drawn leaf then appears on the tree map and the interaction comes to an end. When a new interaction happens, it builds on the leafs of the previous user. What began as a lifeless tree slowly transformed over the course of time. As more participants added their leaf drawings, borders between countries became increasingly obscured until the world map dissolved into a single blooming structure. The project asks whether belonging is less about one fixed place and more about the accumulation of places, memories, and movement over time.