There are trees all around campus, but most people don’t notice the lines that compose them.

Matt Todd and Kristin Benson, seniors in fine arts, are trying to change that.

Since spring break, they have been wrapping brightly colored chiffon around various trees on campus to accentuate their natural lines, Todd said.

“It’s crazy because every tree is different, and all the lines in the tree are different. So we’re just pulling out a few of the lines that exist and showing them off a little bit,” he said.

The duo has decorated a tree in front of the major building of each college, Todd said.

They also plan to wrap a group of eight trees by the Memorial Union, for a total of 16 trees.

The chiffon will be left on the trees for four weeks.

“We tried to pick out trees that have really crazy lines or have real interesting line patterns,” Todd said.

The material they’re using for wrapping will not harm the trees, he said.

“We chose a fabric that’s going to let [the tree] breathe a little bit and let some light get through,” he said.

Todd and Benson said they came up with the idea from a similar project they participated in last year through a fibers class.

They enjoyed wrapping the four trees during the class so much, Benson said, they decided to recreate it on a larger scale this spring.

“We just wanted to bring the harmony of color to campus in the spring before the buds really start to show,” she said.

Each tree took the pair an hour to prepare and an hour to wrap, for a total of about 32 hours.

A focus grant provided them with the money to decorate the trees, Todd said.

The grant money also will fund a photography exhibit of the trees at different stages.

The exhibit will be displayed in late April, he said.

Todd said they have received humorous reactions from many of the people who observe them wrapping.

Some people think they are doing it for “some medical reason, like the tree is injured,” he said. Others just give them strange looks.

Benson said she hopes the wrapping will increase the Iowa State community’s understanding of art in nature.

“You walk by this tree every day, and you probably don’t notice all these curves and different lines that go on. And now, at least for the next four weeks, you’ll notice it,” she said.

The decorations also could have a lasting effect, she said.

“Maybe after [the wrappings have been removed], you’ll walk by and go ‘Ooh! There’s the pink tree!’ or ‘There’s the purple tree!'” Benson said.