The Sycamore Gap tree, which was famously cut down one year ago, has now been memorialized in an exhibition at The Sill visitor center near Hexham, in Northumberland. The exhibition highlights the life of the tree and urges visitors to make pledges about how they can help protect the environment. The centerpiece of the exhibition is a 7ft (2m) section of the trunk which sits in front of wooden panels created by artist Charlie Whinney. When stacked together, the lengths of the panels resemble the tree’s 49ft (15m) height, representative of the 49 Sycamore Gap saplings that the National Trust is gifting to UK communities.
The Sycamore Gap tree was a popular subject among artists and photographers, and the exhibition aimed to turn the tragic loss of the tree into a hopeful message for the future of the environment. Nick Greenall, a member of the Cumbrian art collective Creative Communities, emphasized that the art installation is not merely a memorial but an opportunity for visitors to act. He said, “We are going to get people to make pledges, how they think they can benefit the environment…so they could say, ‘I’m going to plant ten trees a year for the rest of my life.'”
The wooden panels created by Charlie Whinney represent the four different seasons and the length of the trunk section on display is positioned in front of the autumn panel. Visitors to the exhibition will be asked to write an “oath or a promise” about what they can do to improve the environment, while children from various schools have already painted sycamore-shaped leaves to decorate the summer panel.
The National Trust’s gift of 49 Sycamore Gap saplings to communities across the UK is part of a Trees of Hope initiative that seeks to bring positive change in the wake of the felling of the famous tree. Henshaw Church of England Primary School in Hexham and all 15 UK national parks will receive one of the saplings. The exhibition featuring the trunk section will become a permanent display at The Sill in the spring
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