Published: 30 Jan 2023
akin project, image by Colin Andrews.
A long-term participatory artwork involving oak trees and a traveling exhibition raising awareness of ash dieback are among the projects receiving funding in the latest round of Creative Scotland's Open Fund awards.
akin is a large-scale public artwork from Colin Andrews. The project will see oak trees planted across Fife to create a ‘future forest’.
In 2023, 200 nine-year-old oak trees, grown and nurtured by Colin from acorns originally gathered in Fife in 2013, will be re-planted across the region. The trees will be gifted to 200 individuals, families, community groups, institutions and businesses across Fife who will then undertake the planting and care of these trees in the gardens, parks, common lands and green spaces of Fife.
Artist Colin Andrews explains: “Oaks once formed a third of all tree cover in Britain and are the most iconic of Britain’s native trees. A symbol of longevity, strength and dignity, the oak also plays a unique role in the biodiversity of our forest ecosystems providing vital food and shelter for a staggering 2,300 other species.”
“Tree planting is, of course, not a panacea for climate change. However, planting billions of trees across the world is widely considered the single most effective, cheapest and most accessible way to begin to tackle the climate crisis. In 100 years, the 200 trees of akin should have produced over 40,000 new oak trees.
“Beyond the environmental and wellbeing implications of creating a forest of the future, the more immediate and direct intention of creating a symbolic, dispersed woodland is to engage communities in individual acts of nurture and stewardship, in a collective act of empowerment, commitment and sustainability.”
The artwork will be documented in the form of a website, a book and a limited-edition map showing the distribution of the trees.
If you would like further information or if you would like to participate in akin and become the steward of an oak tree, please contact Colin Andrews at colin@colinandrews.org.
Meanwhile, Scottish Furniture Makers Association will partner with Scottish Forestry and the Association of Scottish Hardwood Sawmillers to present an ambitious travelling exhibition and education outreach programme across Scotland in 2024 entitled Ash Rise!
The theme of the exhibition will be to highlight and showcase Scottish ash and its use for furniture making and other crafts, and to inform people of the devastating environmental and economic impacts of ash dieback, a highly destructive fungus affecting ash trees.
“Ash dieback will kill around 80% of ash trees across the UK. At a cost of billions,” claims project coordinator Tom Addy: “It will change the landscape forever and threaten many species which rely on ash.”
“As part of the project, 20 makers will be provided with locally-felled ash timber from Killearn Estate, Stirlingshire, to transform the material into new furniture and artworks showcasing the best of Scottish creativity.
“The journey of the trees will be documented from their felling to filmed interviews and the finished designs/artworks, culminating in an exhibition traveling to six Scottish locations in order to engage, inspire and inform young people, industry professionals and the wider general public.”
The projects are among 55 receiving a total of £1,169,065 National Lottery funding in this latest round of Creative Scotland’s Open Fund awards. At a glance, projects also include:
Paul Burns, Interim Director of Arts at Creative Scotland said: “For many, the New Year is a symbolic time that represents renewal, growth and hope. Thanks to funding from The National Lottery, these excellent projects have the capacity to positively contribute to the wellbeing of people across Scotland, whilst inspiring hope for a brighter future for our planet in 2023 and beyond.”
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