Living TreeCRaft

collage on paper

6″ x 6″

Many cultures have practiced various methods of sculpting tress for utilitarian and intellectual purposes.

Daisugi – Around the 15th century, foresters in the Kyoto region of Japan developed a method of silviculture with sugi trees that promoted the growth of very straight, strong logs. This method involves cutting a mature base tree to make a platform from which would grow many straight trunks. These trunks were harvested every two to four years for use in tea rooms and other high-profile spaces.

Coppicing – A practice from the stone age, coppicing is a process of cutting a tree down to a stump so that new, thin shoots will grow from it. These shoots served as a valuable and continual source of fire wood, tool making, and fencing.

Bonsai – The earliest documentation of growing and artfully shaping miniature trees comes from the first century in China. This practice, known as penjing, involved the curation of miniature landscapes in trays. As Chinese culture spread east, Japanese monks adopted the practice and transformed it into the sculpting of a singular plant.

Topiary – European topiary practices date back to at least the early Roman Empire. It is the practice of pruning trees and shrubs into clearly defined shapes, often of a geometric or figurative character.

Jingkieng Jri – The indigenous Khasi communities of Meghalaya, India have mastered the art of crafting bridges from living rubber tree roots over centuries. The bridges are essential for communication and travel through the wet, rural, jungle environment. Each one takes decades of care to build and maintain.