Dana Savic is a Dutch designer based in Brussels. She is a graduate of the Design Academy in Eindhoven, and her practice takes shape through various mediums such as objects, texts, photographs, and films. She brings attention and empathy to barely visible or hard-to-grasp issues. By giving a story a physical shape, the message that comes to light can help reshape perspectives on landscapes, materials, and objects.

Echoes of Drought is a totem that voices the stress of a Norway Spruce in drought. The flow of water inside a tree trunk can be interrupted due to air bubbles; when it happens, the vibrations create a ‘tick’. Scientists record these sounds to know when a tree is experiencing drought stress. A mechanism softly hits the wooden surface of the object, echoing the water columns breaking inside the tree so you can hear the sequence of hydration to the complete dehydration of a Norway spruce. Carpenter Gernot Pichler produced the totem using locally sourced Norway Spruce (Picea abies) from Hasslacher Preding, who made the project possible.