News / Trees
Crop circle night glow illuminates ‘living Stonehenge’
Though it will take around 100 years to fully emerge, the essence of artist Luke Jerram‘s latest project has been uniquely brought to life by community groups.
The first trees of Echo Wood, Jerram’s artwork developed in collaboration with charity Avon Needs Trees that they are calling a ‘living message of action and hope’, are due to go in the ground this winter.
But before planting begins the community has come together to create a temporary light up version using hand-crafted lanterns, to inspire community members to gift a loved one a tree for Christmas.
Each decorated candle bag represented one tree that will, once planted, will grow over the next 50-100 years to finally create Jerram’s Echo Wood design that he hopes will be a resource and inspiration for the community – photo: Alex Turner
12 groups decorated 365 lanterns to represent the number of trees planned for the artwork which has been designed with the cyclical nature of time in mind.
The lanterns were lit to create a 110 metre-wide ‘crop circle night glow’ that demonstrated the artwork’s eventual pathways and spiral shape.
Schoolchildren, youth groups, community art clubs, volunteers and Jerram himself decorated the lanterns with nature-inspired patterns looking to the future biodiversity of the site that will be populated with crab apple, field maple, bird cherry, dogwood and hawthorn.
The trees will bloom and fruit at different times, creating vibrant colourful stripes throughout the seasons.
These paths will lead inwards to a grove of 12 oaks that Jerram hopes will be a space for others to be creative at the centre of what he’s called his “living stonehenge”.
“It’s incredible to think that our children will grow with the artwork and that it will still be around when they’re parents themselves, or even grandparents!” said Warrick Barton, Head Teacher of Pensford Primary School – photo: Alex Turner
The artwork is set to be planted at Lower Chew Forest, Avon Needs Trees’ 422 acre site between Bristol and Bath that will eventually be populated by 100,000 volunteer-planted trees as well as wildlife habitat such as wetlands, grassland and hedgerows.
Residents can invest in the project by sponsoring a tree, with the option to dedicate and leave a message for a future family member who will be able to enjoy the artwork as it comes to fruition.
Gift recipients will receive an Echo Wood themed Christmas card and the sponsored tree will carry their name for as long as the artwork stands.
Echo Wood as it is destined to appear when fully grown – photo: Enviral
Find out more at echo-wood.co.uk/sponsor
Main image: Elastic Pie
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
