Brussels, 29 October 2012. Wood comes into our lives not only by growing all around us, but by providing us with shelter, by offering us comfort, by drifting toward us. Wood can be a vehicle to immortalize our passage through this world and it reminds us of our personal relation with nature. It now also comes to the European Parliament in Brussels under the form of art.

In this spirit, Mr Gaston Franco, MEP and President of the Club du Bois, hosts an exhibition from 3 to 7 December 2012 in the Altiero Spinelli building of the European Parliament to raise awareness among his colleagues on the many advantages of wood use for Europe. The exhibition is organized by the European Confederation of Woodworking Industries (CEI-Bois), the European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry (EOS) and the European Panel Federation (EPF).

Works and installations of renowned European artists using wood: Stephan Balkenhol (Germany), Gorzo Dumitru (Romania), Arne Quinze (Belgium), Philippe Ramette (France) and Richard Long (UK) will be displayed in a “wood garden” and highlight a selection of the best harvested wood products art can produce. The exhibition was set up by curator  Dany Vandenbossche, president of the progressive Culture Foundation Vermeylen, with the advice of Prof. Jan Hoet, founder of the City Museum for Contemporary Art  in Ghent, Belgium and curator of Documenta IX (Kassel, Germany). Through the art, the industry wants to raise awareness over the special role of wood and wood products in the fight against climate change, while showcasing the many possibilities to use the material.

The subtitle of the exhibition is ‘Plant a second forest’, referring to the carbon stock from the forest that remains in harvested wood products. Carbon captured by the trees will remain in the products we use daily, until the end of the recycling cascade. The role of carbon storage to integrate climate change policy is currently under discussion within the European Parliament.

During the week of the exhibition, the artists will also participate in events hosted by diplomatic representations and national federations. 

Also, science and policy debates will take place, including the presentation of a  report on wood flows and carbon sequestration in Europe by Prof. Udo Mantau of the Forestry Center of the University of Hamburg. The presence of wood in daily life will be made characteristically discreet, as the flooring, partitions and furniture in the wood garden will be made from European wood products.

“The feeling is one of communion with nature, thanks to a material that needs little transformation to become part of our daily lives”, said Laszlo Döry, Chairman of EPF and Vice-Chairman of CEI-Bois, “this very building is an example of the importance of incorporating long-lasting beauty in our demanding political world”.

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