the work:
the complimentree is a large wooden sculpture, designed to resemble a tree, painted fluorescent colors and draped with a combination of compliments and marshmallows. it is capable of being disassembled at any time, involves no glue or nails and can fit into a box or bag with a length of at least three feet. while on display, viewers are prompted to either take a compliment or take a marshmallow, but not both. they are also provided with pen and paper on which they have the option of writing down compliments they want to have appear on the tree.
the process:
before the construction of the tree itself, participants were asked to write down compliments they wished they had received or wished to receive. all compliments are included and all are un-censored (with the exception of minor grammatical corrections). the compliments were formatted, sized according to aesthetics principles, printed on vellum, sliced into banners and attached to branches of the tree with treble clef shaped paperclips and white yarn. additionally, the compliments can be easily replaced or changed as the situation requires. a large quantity of marshmallows are also draped by way of golden paperclips and white yarn. excepting the stickiness of the paperclips, the marshmallows can be constantly restocked. the draping of the tree can also be adjusted based on the situation, and the marshmallows can be replaced with something more nutritious.
the frame is constructed from handcrafted poplar dowels ranging from twelve inches to thirty-six inches in length and one half of an inch to three inches in diameter. each dowel is fixed in place with folded scraps of white linen, which are stuffed into the crevices between the thinner branch and a hole in the larger branch. all dowels are painted with five layers of acrylic paint mixed with matte medium. depending on the exact location of the dowels, the tree stands anywhere from six to eight and a half feet high.
the concept:
the complimentree is intended to be intensely festive, partially due to its color scheme, but more importantly due to its conceptual foundations. the compliment is, by nature, a form of positive re-enforcement and whether the context makes it facetious, simply polite, spur purely from kindness and general goodwill, express sexual interest (of which many compliments on the complimentree are examples of) or show interest and appreciation; the compliment still retains, in some form or another, its function of bolstering the recipient. the compliment is, if reified, something like a sweet or candy, and hence the juxtaposition of marshmallows and compliments. both are symbolically a ‘treat’. though of course, the compliment is the more substantial of the two. even when it is as simple as “nice shoes”, a compliment shows recognition.
however, none of the compliments on the complimentree have actually been vocalized. each is a creation of an author, and the compliments range from whimiscal, raunchy and absurd to sincere, profound and plaintive. the complimentree is attempting to reveal the possibility of recognition through the distinctive voices of the fifty plus participants, instead of only trying to show tangible instances of complimentation. through the interactive nature of the sculpture (the request that each viewer take a compliment or marshmallow), the tree aims both to recognize the audience, and to encourage the audience to recognize their audience, perhaps in a more thoughtful or creative way which transcends the gratifying, but eventually redundant, phrase “nice shoes”.