Artist Kristin Kuhns spent a fascinating 10 days or so reconstructing a tree she found in the woods of a friend. The final show in the experimental Project Space, an off-shoot of Salem Art Association, opened last night and Kristin’s piece was the gallery centerpiece. Thought you might like to see how it came together.
Kristin found the eviscerated tree on a friend’s property. The wood had been removed and the bark remained. She ask to take it away and began a plan to recontruct the tree elsewhere. The bark itself was beautiful with the calligraphy of beetles on the inside:
The process of reconstruction was hard work and included much sawing and drilling and climbing–it was fascinating to watch it take shape:
Her method included many screws and wire to hold each piece in place and that grid began to hold a textural fascination of it’s own:
Once the “body” of the tree was built, Kristin began adding branches from a variety of different trees, including peach…the tree sort became a symbol for “everytree.”
My photos don’t do it justice, but the piece is on view at Project Space until September 12th. Check it out.
On The Way 