The Documentary
October 16, 2022. Trees, scientists, artists, lawyers and the public come together in the Amstelpark (NL) for Trial in the park - the trees speak out. In this speculative trial, they imagine a future in which trees have the same rights as people and hold local polluters to account. A three-judge panel dealt with the case. The defense of the plaintiffs – the trees in the park – consists of expert witnesses, who support their case with dendrochronological evidence, and legal and artistic pleas. The ruling does not only concern the trees in the park but also questions the current state of the democratic ecosystem at large.
Judges: Marianne Thieme, Eva Rovers and Mert Kumru
Clerk: Hannah Prins
Lawyers: Jessica den Outer and Jan van de Venis
Artistic representatives: Gershwin Bonevacia, Thijs van Vuure, Kenzo Kusuda, Mus Broes and Noï Vermijs Defendant: Sem Bakker
Expert witnesses: Ute Sass-Klaassen and Peter Akkerman
Video: Jeppe van Pruissen and Joris van Egmond
Dramaturgy: Marieke Nooren
