ARBOREAL

Arboreal comprises three cross-sections of British trees, digitally engraved with data to complement the organic information they already hold.

Quercus (2019) is inscribed with evidence that oak supports over 2000 species in the UK, including fungi, invertebrates and lichen. This provides a scientific, digital counterpoint to the analogue information that can be obtained from seeing, touching and smelling the oak wood itself which, whilst no longer part of a tree, is still providing an ecosystem for living things. The artwork includes an engraving of a map of Acute Oak Decline cases since 2008, resembling woodworms eating their way through Britain.

Platanus x hispanica (2019) comprises a London plane tree, felled in Euston as part of the High Speed Rail (HS2) development. Euston Road ha the third worst air pollution levels in the UK in 2017, with 92.5 micrograms of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) registered per cubic meter of air. A data map of air pollution in the Euston area has been CNC milled into the plane tree wood - providing a digital counterpoint to the residue from emissions which will are ingrained in its gnarled, blackened, sooty bark. 

The yew, Taxus baccata, is a dangerous tree for humans and wildlife alike. The bark, needles and fruit contain chemicals so toxic that the tree only supports four species, in contrast to the oak’s 2300. We now know this property helps prolong this ancient tree’s life, and for centuries people have associated the yew with legends of death, religion and longevity. Over the last 30-40 years, scientists have discovered that these same properties mean that yew extracts can be used in chemotherapy treatment, prolonging life for many.