Jun
The Tree of Trees was illuminated during a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace on the evening of Thursday 2nd June in honour of Her Majesty the Queen.
The queen led the ceremony at Windsor Castle, symbolically setting off a chain reaction, while her grandson, Prince William, saw the final result as the Principal Beacon lit up outside Buckingham Palace. The “Tree of Trees” is being used to honor Her Majesty’s 70-year reign on the throne. Around 3,000 beacons were lit across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth simultaneously.
I was commissioned to photograph and capture the sculpture on the run up to the Jubilee celebration weekend. The photographs have been featured in a number of editorial publications including, The Times, Independent, CNN, Bloomberg, Architects Journal, Dezeen, and on numerous websites.
Designed by Heatherwick Studio, the sculpture is one part of a national community campaign to plant more trees and inspire the next generation of tree planters, led by the Queen’s Green Canopy.
"This sculpture acts like a beacon, sending one simple, eternal message that trees are the super-heroes of our towns and cities and matter much more to our lives than we realize," said studio head Thomas Heatherwick. "It's been made by a team of welders, arborists, designers and fabricators from right across the country, all of us playing a part in this huge community campaign that's literally transforming the landscape and proudly honoring The Queen."
After the Jubilee, the saplings will be taken to a nursery in Cambridgeshire and cared for in 20-litre pots until the planting season begins this October. They include nine native species so that the right tree can be planted in the right place. Each one will then be gifted to community groups across the UK, celebrating their work and helping to green our cities and renew the countryside.
A million trees have already been planted through the Queens Green Canopy, nurturing a legacy to honour Her Majesty the Queen.
