About the Tree Project

I first conceived of this piece the week before Burning Man announced its theme for 2007.  When I heard the theme was “The Green Man”, I knew I had to do it.  When I read the Burning Man website’s description of the theme, and saw that artists were being called upon to create a ‘forest’ surrounding the man, I got chills.  From the first glimmer of inspiration, I knew this project felt right, and all signs since then have confirmed that feeling.

This tree is an interactive art installation, to be shared with the citizens of Black Rock City the week of Burning Man 2007.  This piece begins as a simple tree, standing about 9 feet tall and 5 feet wide.  Tied to the branches will be thousands of leaves, crocheted or knitted from yarn.  These leave will be left unfinished; that is, not "tied off," so that participants may unravel the leaves.   By the end of the week, the tree will have hundreds of strands of yarn hanging down from the branches.

The creation of this artwork, as well as its destruction, will be a community, collaborative effort.  From now until I arrive on the playa with my tree, I will be asking knitters and crocheters to send me leaves to be tied to the branches.

If you’d like to contribute a leaf or two (or even three!) to this project, click here for instructions.

Click the links below to read more about the tree project...