A few images from a rare old book of New South Wales tree carvings

Bound’ was first conceived for the ‘Explorations’ exhibition at the National Botanic Garden of Wales’ in 2003. The invitation to make a temporary site-responsive public art work for the gardens was offered to 11 international artists. It was a defining moment in my practice. To work outside for the first time, to reference and respond to the land. Issues of landownership, of acquisition and use, and points of reference all came to together and were informed by the need to make something powerful but sensitive, that drew attention to yet did not compete with nature.
The work linked to my interest in Japanese packaging and their aesthetic regarding wrapping and packaging. I had previously been interested in placing work outside of the gallery and to quote Christo was also ‘revealing through concealing’. Binding the tree in cloth I freed the form and could it offer back to the public to see anew. It followed a concern with unearthing qualities in the commonplace that were worthy of note and were mainly over looked.. Bound referred to the process of binding and swathing the trees in cloth, to the time and intention in making the work – and connecting to place and and also to boundaries.
 http://philippalawrence.com/projects/bound/

Just some cool carving / sculpture from Giuseppe Penone .. we just like it. Not easy to do this ..