An artist in Auroville has created an exhibit commemorating an event that shocked the community.
Written May, 2025
“A Sanctuary under Siege”
On January 4th, 2024, the Auroville Crown Road witnessed a devastating act: the mass felling of shade trees. Ordered by the Auroville Foundation Office, these trees, planted two decades ago with European Union funding, provided crucial shade to the residential area. Only a few trees survived, where brave citizens, risking their Indian visas, chained themselves in protest. This act of environmental destruction deeply shocked the community, evoking painful memories of Cyclone Thane in 2012, when the road bore a similar desolate appearance and Auroville was declared a disaster area.
Moribund serves as a dedication to my cherished home, Aurovilian international community facing immense pressure. The very principles of Auroville, once a beacon of liberalism, are under threat of manipulation by extremists. Many of us who have poured our lives and resources into this remarkable project now face the prospect of exile, forced to rebuild at an advanced age in our home countries.
I aim to transform felled tree trunks, a daily reminder of a painful event, into meaningful works of art. These creations serve as a poignant memorial, commemorating the loss of these magnificent shade trees.
The art serves as a potent symbol of the destruction and disregard for a sustainable future. Auroville’s transformation from “The City the World Needs” into “A Place Nobody Needs” reflects a concerning repetition of past mistakes. The embrace of corruption and the erosion of its founding principles threaten the very essence of this extraordinary community.
By Birgitta Volz
May, 2025
View catalog of artworks: download the catalog
Video of the exhibit: https://youtu.be/hnsEa4kjkTI
Artist website: http://www.birgittavolz.de/
2 Comments
This was perhaps the most shocking event I witnessed in Auroville over the last few years. This action felt as pure cruelty, a way to hurt residents for the sake of violence. Thanks Birgitta for creating art pieces in rememberance of this event.
Your artwork is beautiful and the occasion for it heartbreaking.
Alain and I (AV 1972 – 1994) were visiting when this happened.
The sound of chainsaws filled the air day and night during that period but the massacre on the crown road was the most devastating and heartbreaking. I remember that the next day Aurovilians putting flowers on the tree stumps, with tears.
Thank you for your memorialization of the event but more importantly of Auroville’s resilience, courage, and great love.