There’s not a blade of grass in sight. I see no dirt either. But somehow, against all odds, a tree has sprouted from this forbidding patch of concrete at a strange, 70-degree angle. I didn’t even know trees could grow that way, let alone in these conditions. It’s a scene that plays out over and over again in an ever-expanding photo essay called A Tree Grows In by L.A. photographer Sinziana Velicescu. Her images capture plant life finding a way amid the harsh built environments of cities and suburbs.
“I’ve been photographing overlooked observations around my hometown of Los Angeles, and this is just one of the many thematic elements I’ve found to be unique during my explorations,” says Velicescu, who adds to the collection whenever she comes across the phenomenon. “The more I travel, the more I realize this is not just unique to L.A., but more the built environment of the entire Southwest.”
“There’s a push and pull of positive and negative in all the images,” agrees Velicescu. “In some ways, the imagery is a bit dismal in the sense that the nature is contained within these constructed environments we’ve built . . . but in almost every photo, there is hope in the sense that the trees and topiary are still emerging through the cracks, taking back the land, or not necessarily playing by man’s rules due to their inherent qualities of being wild.”
Indeed, and if nothing else, the essay is a reminder, that no matter the mistakes humanity makes in protecting this planet, the natural world will eventually recover—even if it takes eons—by breaking through one strip-mall sidewalk at a time.
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