The Last Tree was made in 2013 for an exhibition at Delamore Arts in Devon. I made the sculpture seat in response to ash dieback which is killing off our ash trees in the UK as well as abroad. I saw it as prophetic and as a metaphor for our sick earth.
I used symbols and runes from Norse mythology which tells the story of Yggdrasil, (the ash tree/world tree) and the part it played in "Ragnarok" (the events leading to the apocalypse).
I used symbols and runes from Norse mythology which tells the story of Yggdrasil, (the ash tree/world tree) and the part it played in "Ragnarok" (the events leading to the apocalypse).
Modern Grafitti
The three roots leading to Asgard, Jotunheim, and Niflheim. Here you can see the three Norns, “Fate” (Urd), “Being” (Skuld) and “Necessity” (Verdandi), Mimir’s head and Heimdall’s horn curling around Odin’s eye, and the dragon Nidhogg.
The Runes read "Unna Yggdrasill" in Old Norse which roughly translates as "Cherish the Ash".
The deer who feed from the leaves of the ash.
Yggdrasil. There's Ratatosk, the squirrel who takes gossip and lies to the eagle (with hawk in it's brow) at the top of the tree.
In the centre is a bird bath - a nest with two golden eggs which represent the two
survivors of Ragnarok - Lif and Leifthrasir
In the centre is a bird bath - a nest with two golden eggs which represent the two
survivors of Ragnarok - Lif and Leifthrasir
