In the middle of Disney Parks’ closure, Imagineer Joe Rohde has been sharing some interesting insights and exercises about artistry and design and where he gets inspiration for projects.
- With Disney’s parks temporarily closed, Imagineer Joe Rohde is kindly sharing some pictures from his personal collection of Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
- In his most recent post on Instagram, Rohde has two photos of the park’s icon, The Tree of Life and how it represents nature and magic at the same time.
- For Disney fans who aren’t familiar with Rohde’s posting style, he normally has a lot to say about the pictures he shares, often going into the history or philosophy behind concepts captured in those images.
- Fans browsing through Rohde’s Instagram will find some very interesting exercises in imagination, creativity, and perspective that could be quite helpful while schools, libraries, parks, and other gathering places are closed.
- Rohde’s Tree of Live post reads:
Well. It doesn’t look like we are meeting up at Disney’s Animal Kingdom real soon, so how about a tour of my personal photos of the park. If you haven’t been to the park, or ever heard of it (which is definitely a thing on the West Coast) perhaps this will help people understand what it is. Maybe even convince some skeptics to try it out. If you have been there, it might just be more inside knowledge. So. In the middle of the park is the centerpiece and icon. The Tree of Life. Named for the old fashioned 19th century diagram of interconnected spread of life.
Because the park is dedicated to the themes of animals and their relationships to humans, (good and bad) we needed a non-architectural icon…something “natural.” Since nature is everywhere anyway, we also need to signify that this place is exceptional..in some way “magical.” Thus..a strange tree. A tree whose body disappears under patient observation to become nothing but animals. A metaphor for the rewards nature can provide to the careful observer. But since we all know it has been made..it is a work of arty…it also signifies the intent to communicate..to tell a story.
In fact, the Tree promises two things.
1. This place is a story place about animals.
2.This place is a designed place full of virtuoso accomplishments. (See Aristotle’s essay on Mimesis.)