Erddig Hall
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Project Year
2019
Client
National Trust
A collection of wooden sculptural tree formations were the result of an outdoor seasonal specific design installation for National Trust property Erddig Hall in North Wales.
Designed and created specially to be located in the grounds of the 18th century property, the key focus was to create an experience for visitors and to guide them around the Victorian gardens. The collection of trees were strategically placed within the halls grounds as to entice the visitors to explore and reach the furthest corners of the gardens. The individual structures were stretched far and wide to take the visitors on a journey- not only to explore the grounds but to have an understanding of the importance of art and design and how this can be manipulated to combine traditional and modern aspects of culture.
The trees are crafted from local, sustainably sourced birch wood which was key to the project and the ethics of both LAZERIAN and The National Trust.
The idea was to bridge the gap between art and design and to create a design experience. The project had to work so that the sculptures would work individually as well as a group form.
The series of wooden contemporary Christmas trees were also given designated outdoor spots in an attempt to play with the shadows formed by different light depending on the time of the day.
The wooden tree form pieces are inspired by 80’s foil hanging style Christmas decorations which can be seen in the geometric shapes used to form the design of the trees.
The project is part of a 3 year process whereas the trees will ‘grow’ just as a natural tree would. It was important to incorporate the journey of a natural tree and show that art and design is important in the natural world.
Created at the LAZERIAN workshop in Manchester using a combination of handcrafted methods and the use of a CNC router, the trees are crafted from local, sustainably sourced birch wood which was key to the project and the ethics of both LAZERIAN and The National Trust.
As an outdoor sculpture they had to be durable and also represent the seasonal experience as well as environmental aspects. Both LAZERIAN and The National Trust have the same shared values and are both passionate about sustainable and environmentally friendly design so birch ply was the obvious choice.
The wooden sculptures vary in size from 1.5m to 3m tall and were available to view throughout the Christmas and New Year period at Erddig Hall.