Digging into the roots of this interaction with the birch tree, this project intends to propose contemporary interpretations of the May Tree tradition. A group of international students from the Köln International School of Design investigated vernacular uses of the birch tree that can be celebrated at the end of May. Recycling the cut MaiBäume of the defeated lovers in the city, they explored old crafts such as making paper from the bark, making drinks from the sap or dyeing fabrics from birch trees. They designed rituals for the spring that are in line with the values of our time : circular thinking, local sourcing and gender fluidity. At the end of the week, the group demonstrated their creations in the courtyard of the school, in a festive celebration of love and spring, under the colors of the birch tree.
