Volunteer, 2025, rendering for Still We Dream: King Street Station courtyard proposal, nurse stump made of approx. 5 x 1.5 foot log segments as a base with a live Excelsa cedar tree, 25 x 8 x 8 feet
Volunteer will be a live tree growing from an abstracted wood sculpture of a stump. I would like viewers to experience a sense of wonder encountering this arrangement of an actual tree and human-modified logs in an urban environment. I hope that thoughts of the fragility of the natural world and the necessity of our stewardship will connect with optimism about nature’s constant renewal and the cycles of decay and regeneration that make the future possible.
The title primarily refers to small trees that appear where they aren’t intended but is also a reminder that we can offer our efforts toward a sustainable future.
Volunteer will be 25-feet tall, beckoning viewers to the King Street Station courtyard. I hope viewers will enjoy its shade, contemplate the forests of our region, and think about the value of nature especially when it can be scarce in urban environments. As symbols, I hope a cedar tree growing from nurse stump will have a variety of meanings for different viewers as they their bring their own personal histories and experiences to the piece.