Public Invited To Pick Sycamore Gap Tree Artwork Commission

The public is being invited to vote on which of six shortlisted artists should create an artwork from the wood of the illegally felled Sycamore Gap tree, the National Trust has announced. Voting runs until 28 March and will account for 30% of the final decision.

How The Sycamore Gap tree Vote Works

The National Trust asked artists, organisations and creative agencies to submit proposals for a “nationally important” commission using half of the tree’s timber. The timber has been stored and left to season over the past 28 months and is now ready for artists to work with. Public input will make up 30% of the final score, while a judging panel of art and nature experts will contribute the remaining 70%.

Shortlisted Artists And Their Proposals

Six artists or collaborations have been shortlisted. The proposals offer a range of public-facing projects and ways to carry the tree’s story forward:

• Alex Hartley and Tom James — Viewpoint: an elevated platform made from the wood that lifts people into the space where the tree once stood and will go on a national tour.
• Helix Arts x George King Architects — The People’s Tree: A Shared Story: a community engagement programme across the north of England, an archive of stories, a national touring exhibition and a sound sculpture near the Gap.
• Mary Dalton — Sycamore Gap Black: turning the wood into artists’ materials such as charcoal, inks and pigments, leading to new works and a touring exhibition.
• non zero one — SEEDS: a nationwide artwork in which participants enter a lottery to receive a specially made sycamore seed inlaid with wood from the tree, forming an interactive experience about changing landscapes.
• Sam Williams Studio — Stories of 1, 000 Trees: a nationwide storytelling project collecting 1, 000 tree stories and bringing them back to Sycamore Gap to create a shared space for reflection.
• Trigger — Twirl: a live event at the Gap featuring large paper wind-powered sycamore seeds, a sonic experience using instruments made from the wood, a human chorus, and a temporary wind harp installation. Participants would receive a carved sycamore seed made from the tree.

One shortlisted entrant is a Brighton-based artist collective included among the six finalists. Each proposal aims to honour the tree in a different way, offering community engagement, touring exhibitions, hands-on artistic materials, or live events.

Background, Stakes And Next Steps

The Sycamore Gap tree was illegally felled in September 2023. Two men from Cumbria carried out the act; they were later jailed, each receiving sentences of more than four years last July. The removal of the tree sparked national outrage and an outpouring of grief for the landmark, which had stood in a dip along Hadrian’s Wall since the 1800s.

The National Trust says the winning proposal will help shape the tree’s next chapter. The winner will be announced later in the spring, and the final artwork is expected to be completed by 2028.