When we moved into our new studio space last summer I envisioned turning an entire room into an immersive installation. In July we set out to make it a reality. I art directed the project but it was fabricated in its entirety by Allison Young. 

The First Tree is inspired by one of the cards in my upcoming Green Glyphs Rune deck, "Othala". Othala translates to homeland or ancestral lot. I wanted to create something that had an old Nordic vibe, almost like a snapshot of a long forgotten land from the beginning of time. 

This project involved a lot of problem solving as everything needed to be removable in the end. We wanted to use as much recycled and found materials as we could, so after collecting all of our used boxes, Allison began assembling the ridges of the rolling hills with a combination of cardboard, tape and paper mache.

Once the hills were mapped out and created, Allison began assembling the rock formations with cardboard, glue and tape. The rocks were then covered in tinfoil to give them texture and painted to look like faux rock.

The tree was then assembled with a combination of tin foil, tape and paper towels. 

We then found some bouquets of faux foliage at the craft store and used that to create the leaves of the tree in a pattern that made it look like it was exploding outwards. 

We then began painting the moat, covering the hills in moss rolls and installing LED lights behind the hills to make it look like a sunset. 

A thin layer of resin was poured in the moat to imitate water and the small detailing then began. We laid down coconut husk on the pathway as one of the final steps before working on the lighting and ambience of the room.

The First Tree is now on view at our upstairs studio space. You can book an appointment to visit here.