Hollow

The University of Bristol unveiled Hollow, a public artwork by artist Katie Paterson and architects Zeller & Moye. The artwork will be permanently sited in the historic Royal Fort Gardens in Bristol.

The artwork has been commissioned to mark the opening of the University’s new Life Sciences building in the vicinity of the gardens and is produced by Bristol-based arts producers, Situations. The result of three years’ research and sourcing, the collection of tree species (one of the largest amassed in the UK to date) has been built through the generosity of arboretums, xylaria, herbaria and collectors world-wide.

Over 10,000 unique tree species have been gathered from across the planet, from Yakushima, Japan to the White Mountains of California, with generous donations from the Herbario Nacional de México, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kyoto University, the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard and many more.

The samples of wood span time and space and have been sourced from across the globe. From the oldest tree in the world to some of the youngest and near-extinct species, the tree samples contain within them stories of the planet’s history and evolution through time. From the Indian Banyan Tree, under which Buddha achieved enlightenment, to the Japanese Ginkgo tree in Hiroshima, a tree that witnessed and survived one of the darkest moments of human history.

Hollow, Royal Fort Gardens, Bristol University, UK
Design: Katie Paterson and Zeller & Moye Architects
Production: Situations
Year: 2016