Somerville Topiary Farm

Recycled House to join the Topiary Farm

2010-02-04T12:13:00.002-05:00

Chong-Zi Chen has created the frame of a small house using wood and stainless steel. In a participatory project, on the opening, Chen invites the public to fill this house frame with recycled materials. Please bring to the opening recycled materials such as, cereal boxes, phonebooks, milk boxes, and plastic soda bottles. Questions, contact Chong-Zi at: Chen@ChenArchitect.com.

The result will be Recycled House, an urban dwelling built with materials like plastic bags, bottles, and paper. The purpose of this design is to bring awareness of recycled and sustainable material of housing construction to the community of Somerville.

The opening / community workshop for Chong's project is this Saturday, February 6, at 4:30 pm. This will also be the official opening for the Topiary Farm.

In the news...

2010-02-03T15:37:00.001-05:00

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/somerville/2010/01/_the_topiary_farm_in.html

More photos

2010-01-25T21:02:00.011-05:00

Special thanks to our morning volunteers, and to team members Seth Hoffman and Fidelma Hawney for their tireless efforts.

The topiary farm at night

2010-01-25T14:11:00.000-05:00

Thanks for making the Somerville Topiary Farm a reality!

2010-01-25T13:58:00.001-05:00

Thanks so much to everyone who helped make the Somerville Topiary Farm a reality. It could not have happened without you! It was a real pleasure to watch our participants work their magic on the trees on Saturday, and it's amazing to see how the space of the square has been transformed by a handful of old Christmas trees--and more importantly, by all of you.

This Saturday

2010-01-22T14:17:00.002-05:00

In Union Square we'll be installing the trees! Please come by between 1:30 and 4:30 pm. All the trees are spoken for, but the public is welcome to come and observe the event! The more, the merrier!

Making progress

2010-01-21T22:08:00.001-05:00

ArtsUnion Winter Sculptures

2010-01-21T11:04:00.007-05:00

There will be a public opening for the ArtsUnion winter sculptures on Saturday, February 6th at 4:30 pm in Union Square (snow date: Feb 7 at the same time).

A press release from the Somerville Arts Council about the topiary farm and the other sculptures that are part of the ArtsUnion program:

ArtsUnion Winter Sculpture Series 2010
Exhibit Opening: Saturday, February 6th at 4:30 p.m.
90 Union Square

Five artists, who work in the fields of architecture, ceramics and sculpture, have created site-specific installations for Union Square's urban landscape. The unifying theme of this work is recycling and growth. Look for sprouting mushrooms, recycled topiary Christmas trees and a plant emerging from the back of a solitary human figure. Collectively, we hope these installations will encourage passersby to consider Union as a dynamic, green-friendly urban landscape. The work will remain up for winter and early spring. The five installations:
Recycled House
Chong-Zi Chen's has created the frame of a small house using stainless steel. In a participatory project (date to be announced), Chen invites the public to fill this house frame with recycled materials. The result will be Recycled House, an urban dwelling built with materials like plastic bags and bottles. The purpose of this design is to bring awareness of recycled and sustainable material of housing construction to the community of Somerville.

Somerville Topiary Farm
Meera Deean and Elizabeth Stoel present Somerville Topiary Farm, a participatory project that takes the most obvious detritus of Christmas-the multitude of dead Christmas trees-and gives it new life.
On January 23, the public will be invited to install used Christmas trees in gridded plots, where they will use fabric to wrap and shape the trees into topiary-like forms. Individual participation will give rise to the large-scale public spectacle of the Topiary Farm-a tree farm of whimsical shapes made entirely out of repurposed trees that transforms not only the trees, but also the space of the square itself. To learn more about this project, visit this amazing blog: topiary farm blog

The Caterpillar's Garden
Marisa Dipaola's sculptures suggest children's storybooks coming to life. For this exhibit, she has created The Caterpillar's Garden, a grouping of brilliantly glowing mushrooms, evoking the caterpillar's habitat from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. The mushrooms are oversized so people can experience the garden from a caterpillar's perspective. The exhibit is made using foraged plastic bags lit up with L.E.D. lights, in an effort to clean up this world-and illuminate the wonders of the natural world.

Ripplerun
Bevan Weissman's piece, Ripplerun, a tree of stainless steel and cement, is a functional sculpture meant to provide an alternative awning from rain and nasty weather. Its clear plastic leaves protect, while also allowing Union Square dwellers a unique interaction with precipitation.

Still Growing
Wen Xiong Lin's piece, Still Growing, is a ceramic vessel-a solitary human figure-that serves as a tree planter. A young plant will emerge from the figure's back, suggesting nature's dependence on mankind for survival. Still Growing is one in a series of Wen Xiong Lin's installations, consisting of a hand-built ceramic sculpture, a living plant and soil from Somerville, where the artist currently resides. Sunshine, rain, seasonal changes and even visitors are integral parts of this work. It is a growing, living public installation, and residents are encouraged to care for the plant. The figure has undistinguished facial expressions and, along with the plant and the soil, they are just typical. The figure could be anyone, the soil and the plant from anywhere.

This event is part of the ArtsUnion winter sculpture series coordinated by the Somerville Arts Council. ArtsUnion aims to spur the cultural economic development of Union Square, Somerville. Generous funding for the ArtsUnion is provided by the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s John and Abigail Adams Program and the City of Somerville. ArtsUnion has numerous partners, such as ArtSomerville, SCAT, Union Square Main Streets, and the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission. For more info go to: www.somervilleartscouncil.org

Old trees make new art

2010-01-17T20:41:00.002-05:00

A new article in the Somerville Journal. Thanks to Meghann Ackerman!

The Afterlife of Christmas Trees

2010-01-16T20:30:00.002-05:00

Ever wonder what happens to Christmas trees collected off sidewalks? (Aside from the occasion topiary farm project, that is.) Somerville and Cambridge mulch the trees. Somerville residents can pick up mulch from the Department of Public Works. Cambridge recycled more than 4700 trees last year for mulch, which was used in city landscape projects and parks. Medford trees are composted. And some municipalities--not any locally--are starting to use the mulched trees for biomass-fueled power plants.

A tree goes up in Somerville

2010-01-16T20:01:00.007-05:00

Our tree collection grows

2010-01-14T09:00:00.001-05:00

Somerville News

2010-01-07T12:31:00.001-05:00

Our first bit of press in the Somerville News. Thanks to Julia Fairclough for helping to get the word out about the project.

Tree Collection

2010-01-07T11:11:00.023-05:00

Thanks to everyone who donated their trees for this project! See you on the 23rd in Union Square.

Big thanks to Max for providing the brawn!

Wrapped tree precedent

2010-01-07T10:37:00.002-05:00

wrapped tree in Korea
(photo by Janny Baek)

Fabric / wrapped precedents

2010-01-06T23:26:00.002-05:00

Man Ray's The Enigma of Isidore Ducasse, 1920

Christo and Jeanne Claude's Wrapped Reichstag, 1995

Claes Oldenburg's Soft Drainpipe-Blue (cool) Version, 1967

The search for the perfect fabric

2010-01-05T22:56:00.003-05:00

Call for Participants!

2009-12-28T17:00:00.007-05:00

The Somerville Topiary Farm needs you!

We seek artists, children, gardeners, architects, landscape architects, designers, and other creative citizens to participate in a public installation in Union Square.

All you need is an old Christmas tree and a design idea.

An area of Union Square will be gridded into “plots” for individual action. Each participant’s tree will be installed in the grid in a stand stenciled with the volunteer’s name. Participants may choose to clip their trees, and perhaps even to design and build armatures of wire or wood to attach to the trees, to create new forms and shapes. Once the trees take shape, together we will wrap them in a fabric of a single color.

Individual participation will give rise to the large-scale public spectacle of the Topiary Farm—a tree farm of whimsical shapes made entirely out of repurposed trees—the refuse of Christmas.

The time is now!

Instead of putting your tree out for trash collection, email us at somervilletopiaryfarm@gmail.com to sign on. We will set up a time during the first week of January to pick up your tree. All trees will be stored on site in Union Square in preparation for the event. Spots are limited because of the size of the site, so sign up now to secure your place. If you do not have a tree but would like to participate, we can provide you with a tree.

Installation Day is Saturday, January 23 (snow date: January 24). Show up on site to dress your tree. The community event of making the topiary grid is part of the fun.

This event is part of the ArtsUnion winter sculpture series coordinated by the Somerville Arts Council. The trees will be on display in Union Square along with four other sculptures. There will be a public opening for all five sculptures (date TBD). Each participant will tend his or her tree for the duration of the installation.

How it works

2009-12-27T21:41:00.001-05:00

Tree Farm

2009-12-26T09:22:00.007-05:00

The Somerville Topiary Farm is a participatory project that takes the most obvious detritus of Christmas—the multitude of dead Christmas trees—and gives it new life. The project engages the public in an effort to generate a secondary formal, aesthetic, and poetic presence for the trees, defamiliarizing their ubiquitous green cones into something unexpected and striking. The result is a large-scale spectacle that transforms not only the trees, but also the space of the square itself.

More topiary forms

2009-12-26T09:21:00.000-05:00

Some topiary forms from the 2008 Minnesota State Fair.

Squirrels, rabbits, cows, and a topiary Elvis!

More inspiration

2009-12-26T09:00:00.015-05:00

Christo and Jeanne-Claude

Christo and Jeanne-Claude

Konstantin Dimopoulo s, Sacred Grove

Some images of topiary gardens

2009-12-26T08:58:00.000-05:00

Beckley, England

In the Mission Hills area of San Diego

Versailles

Some inspiration

2009-12-26T08:56:00.016-05:00

The project owes much to the work of artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude and contemporary landscape architects such as Claude Cormier, but it is set apart by its implication of the public.

[Claude Cormier's Jardin des bâtons bleus in Montreal]

Recycled House Chong-Zi Chen's has created the frame of a small house using stainless steel. In a participatory project (date to be announced), Chen invites the public to fill this house frame with recycled materials. The result will be Recycled House, an urban dwelling built with materials like plastic bags and bottles. The purpose of this design is to bring awareness of recycled and sustainable material of housing construction to the community of Somerville.
Somerville Topiary Farm Meera Deean and Elizabeth Stoel present Somerville Topiary Farm, a participatory project that takes the most obvious detritus of Christmas-the multitude of dead Christmas trees-and gives it new life. On January 23, the public will be invited to install used Christmas trees in gridded plots, where they will use fabric to wrap and shape the trees into topiary-like forms. Individual participation will give rise to the large-scale public spectacle of the Topiary Farm-a tree farm of whimsical shapes made entirely out of repurposed trees that transforms not only the trees, but also the space of the square itself. To learn more about this project, visit this amazing blog: topiary farm blog
The Caterpillar's Garden Marisa Dipaola's sculptures suggest children's storybooks coming to life. For this exhibit, she has created The Caterpillar's Garden, a grouping of brilliantly glowing mushrooms, evoking the caterpillar's habitat from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. The mushrooms are oversized so people can experience the garden from a caterpillar's perspective. The exhibit is made using foraged plastic bags lit up with L.E.D. lights, in an effort to clean up this world-and illuminate the wonders of the natural world.
Ripplerun Bevan Weissman's piece, Ripplerun, a tree of stainless steel and cement, is a functional sculpture meant to provide an alternative awning from rain and nasty weather. Its clear plastic leaves protect, while also allowing Union Square dwellers a unique interaction with precipitation.
Still Growing Wen Xiong Lin's piece, Still Growing, is a ceramic vessel-a solitary human figure-that serves as a tree planter. A young plant will emerge from the figure's back, suggesting nature's dependence on mankind for survival. Still Growing is one in a series of Wen Xiong Lin's installations, consisting of a hand-built ceramic sculpture, a living plant and soil from Somerville, where the artist currently resides. Sunshine, rain, seasonal changes and even visitors are integral parts of this work. It is a growing, living public installation, and residents are encouraged to care for the plant. The figure has undistinguished facial expressions and, along with the plant and the soil, they are just typical. The figure could be anyone, the soil and the plant from anywhere.