The Tree as Monument

Traditional monuments often depict stories of conquest, with human forms triumphing over complex social and political issues. However, there are natural monuments we pass by every day—trees that stand resilient against environmental decline, climate change, urbanization, and other threats. Yet, these trees are rarely acknowledged, let alone celebrated, as monuments.

By framing a significant tree as an “actor” in an urban drama, we can bring attention to its vital role in addressing the increasing challenges of city life—rising temperatures, flood risks, polluted air, and biodiversity loss. This particular evergreen (Cypress Pines) will take center stage, symbolising the importance of greening our cities and towns worldwide. During both day and night, the Tree Museum will illuminate this living monument, transforming it into a beacon for ecological awareness.

The Tree Museum aims to spark conversations around ecology, conservation, and the deep interdependence between humans and the natural world. It will create a designated space—a “Wundercabinet”—that invites visitors to engage with the tree in ways they have never before. Through touch, smell, sight, and study, audiences will have the opportunity to interact intimately with this significant tree, in a white, objectified space that wraps around its trunk, creating a unique “white cube” environment. Here, the tree will be displayed as though it were an ancient relic, a specimen that could be the last of its kind—a reminder of the importance of seeing and valuing our natural world before it’s too late.

This project saw the tree as a work of art and, by extension, a forest as a social movement. The Tree Museum did focus on a noteworthy tree, with a history, and public significance and could’ve covered a number of trees, as suggested by Peter Wohlleben in The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate. These trees, whether of the same species or connected by a deeper bond, will stand as soul mates.

When a tree becomes a work of art, a forest transforms into a social movement. As Joseph Beuys once said, “We must continue along the road of interrelating socio-ecologically all the forces present in our society until we perform an action which extends to the fields of culture, economy, and democratic rights.” This project embodies that vision, reminding us of the profound connections between art, nature, and society.

LANDscape before it became the Tree Museum, 
for the Lorne Sculpture Biennale see below the video
of the making of the Tree Museum.
Wonderfully supported by a RAF, a Regional Arts 
Grant a Community Project to travel, stay, to make and exhibit the work
during the 2 week exhibition

Civic Spaces, Parks, and Gardens: Theaters of Everyday Life

Civic spaces, parks, and gardens are more than just beautiful and functional additions to an urban landscape; they are living environmental and architectural spaces that serve as theaters of everyday life. These are gifts to the people—places where communities come together to play, relax, and gather socially. They embody the invisible elements of a site, shaped and transformed by our interactions and experiences over time.

My work has over 20 years of research into the concept of “interaction as a sculptural strategy.” This approach brings to life the invisible forces that are shaped by the behaviour of audiences, interpreted through my artistic lens into tangible works. One such concept is the Tree as Monument in a temporary (inflatable) museum. Here, visitors engage with these majestic old pines in a new way, offering magnifying glasses to encourage an up-close and personal encounter, allowing people to see them beyond their usual context in the woods.

The Tree Museum project reimagines the experience of viewing nature by isolating a single tree within a controlled space that resembles a bio-control center. This white cube gallery setting elevates the tree from the woods, allowing it to be objectified and appreciated as a significant artwork, inviting reflection on our relationship with the natural world.

The Tree Museum stood strong through all weather conditions that Lorne could muster during the 2 week exhibition, from rain to cyclonic winds, it was challenging and fun. 

But the funniest thing was how many people asked me ‘how did you get the tree inside the museum’???????………

Above left top: The making of the Tree Museum in fast mode with above 3 weeks of reworking and sewing to take the work and reconfigure it around the tree. Working in a rented/supported studio in Geelong, Victoria Below left: audiences shoes outside the Tree Museum