Witness Tree
Overview:
Since 2009, RISD and NPS have joined forces on the Witness Tree Project, unraveling the rich history of fallen trees through meaningful artifacts. Centered on conservation, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller delves into land stewardship practices. In the 2022 iteration, we examined cultural shifts in the environment, repurposing beetle-infested maple trees naturally felled within the park as a medium for artistic expression, contemplation, and introspection. Complemented by field trips and interviews with forest administrators, we delved deeper into the tapestry of history intertwined with nature.
Timeline: 2022.1 - 2022.3
Tool: Woodworking tools, Sketches.
Skill: Onsite observation, Interview, Wood Burning, Lathe, Resin, Wood Carving, Concept Development.
Personal project
Develop a historical map of the National Park to visualize its evolution over time.
Upon reading 'Man and Nature,' how do you interpret the term 'consequence' in context?
Design Question
Onsite Field Trip
National Park History
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in Vermont seamlessly intertwines human stories with natural history, chronicling America's conservation evolution. Honoring pioneers like George Perkins Marsh and Frederick Billings, the park signifies three generations of conservation. Visitors explore the mansion, gardens, and managed forest, gaining insights into balanced land stewardship. In partnership with The Woodstock Foundation and Billings Farm & Museum, it modernizes conservation stewardship, emphasizing a harmony between natural resource conservation and contemporary needs. The park houses the Stewardship Institute, fostering conservation leadership and local partnerships.
Naturally wind down maple
The Maple Tree: A Gift from Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park. Distinctive beetle-infested holes and the symbolic significance of the wolf tree tell the story of the park's rich history.
Wearing distinctive snowshoes, we accompanied a forest officer from the national park to the location where beetle-infested maple trees naturally descend. There, I gathered plants, rocks, seeds, and snow from the surroundings of the fallen tree.
Collecting materials from the site
Making Process
Design Solution
Map inspired by Abenaki’s rattle
When I think about the map, I keep thinking about what sound the maple tree heard. Maybe the sound of leaves falling on the ground or the sound of rock's collision. "When we are witnessing the trees, trees are also witnessing us as well." The different places have their own sound, and the tree itself also observes the world in its way.Music is an essential part of Abenaki's culture.
During the Woodland period, Abenaki people made musical instruments from materials they found in the natural world, filling them with seeds, pits, or pebbles as noisemakers. Inspired by the idea of how Abenaki interacts with nature and uses natural resources as a way to make sound, I think music can be one form of a map, so I refer to the Abenaki traditional instrument rattle as my design. I collected the pine cones, tree branches, and plants near our maple to create the sound and decorated my work with Abenaki traditional symbol using woodburning tools. The music created by natural materials carries memories of the land together with the maple wood from Marsh Billings Rockefeller Park, forming this unique map.
For the symbol: ( Eagles are sacred spiritual beings that give Native people a direct connection to the creator. The Eagle guards our Eastern Gate and carries our prayers to the heavens. )
Design Concept
Product Image
Design Solution
Wooden Jewelry symbolize forest fire inspired by reading “man and nature”
By 1790, Vermont’s leading export items—potash and pearlash(used to manufacture and process glass, soap, and wool) were made by burning hardwood. Farmers routinely felled large swaths of woods for agriculture, construction, and production. The fire was used to remove the forest, influencing its texture and condition quickly. In Man and Nature, Marsh states that fire will dry the earth and destroy the reptiles, insects, and worms with their eggs. Additionally, fire will destroy the seeds of trees and of smaller plants. On the one hand, the fire can be considered the end and disappearance of lives. However, Marsh also mentions that the ashes deposit essential elements for new forest growth. Destroying the wood by fire is regarded as a means of extending the open grounds and acquiring more productive soil. On the other hand, the fire can be seen as the symbol of rebirth and represents new lives.
The double meaning of fire inspires me to create a series of wooden jewelry to express the impact of fire on the land and present the different forest fire levels. My first ring is made by burning the surface of the wood to show the start of the forest fire. The upper part of my second ring represents the land after the forest fire: tons of ashes of trees left on the ground. Below are the plants that once lived on this land. The third ring is about the rebirth of the forest. I mixed the ashes and resin and put those into the wood holes representing new productive soil for the new forest growth. The pendant serves as a tiny drawer to hold the memories of the fire, which contains the ashes of burning. Moreover, I made the wooden base with the tree branches collected from the park for displaying jewelry.
