Image courtesy of Katie Paterson

Hollow by Katie Paterson and Zeller & Moye

On the grounds of the historic Royal Fort Gardens in Bristol, the artist Katie Paterson and architects Zeller & Moye have realized a participatory, public artwork that relays stories of the planet’s history and evolution. Named Hollow, it is a meditative space made up of 10.000 unique tree species whose narratives span millions of years from petrified wood fossils from the earliest forests that emerged 390 million years ago, to emergent categories of arboreal life.

Image courtesy of Katie Paterson

The douglas fir posts that form the façade reflect the varying heights of trees and a forest canopy. Once inside the warm “miniature forest”, visitors experience a monumental collection of tree specimens surrounding them, sourced and gathered over the past three years from across the globe. Above, light filters through apertures in the ceiling, mimicking the way sunlight radiates through a forest. “Its interior is an introverted and meditative space where, whether sitting or standing, one finds oneself embraced by history“, architects Christoph Zeller and Ingrid Moye describe.
 

Image courtesy of Katie Paterson

From Kyoto to California, and from the oldest tree in the world to some of the youngest, the samples narrate both human and environmental stories from across the earth. Including the indian banyan tree, under which Buddha achieved enlightenment, and the japanese ginkgo tree in Hiroshima, which survived one of the darkest moments of human history, the artwork is a both interesting and pleasant part that marks the opening of the University of Bristol‘s new life Sciences Building. 

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