Internationally renowned artist Luke Jerram has embarked on his most ambitious and long-term project yet – a living art installation called Echo Wood that will take a full century to reach completion, long after the 50-year-old artist has passed away. The project, featuring 365 carefully planted native British trees in Somerset's Chew Valley, represents a philosophical shift for the artist who has already staged 900 exhibitions across 40 countries and whose works are housed in approximately 80 museums worldwide.
Jerram, famous for his globally traveling Play Me I'm Yours street pianos project and his seven-meter diameter Museum of the Moon sculpture featuring detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface, is now focusing on legacy projects that will outlast his lifetime. "In 50 to 100 years I'm not going to be here," Jerram explained from his Bristol studio, standing next to a scale model of the ambitious undertaking. "I'm at a stage in my career when I'm starting to look forward, I'm not looking back."
The living sculpture, planted this winter in collaboration with the charity Avon Needs Trees, consists of 365 trees including crabapple, hawthorn, and oak varieties that will slowly grow into a vast 110-meter-wide design. The installation forms part of Lower Chew Forest, which will span 422 acres and contain 100,000 trees, making it one of England's largest new woodlands when completed. The carefully planned layout will create pathways and avenues that blossom at different times throughout the year, guiding visitors on a journey through the forest toward a central circular gathering space formed by 12 English oak trees.
"I'm 50, it might be a midlife crisis," Jerram reflected with humor. "I'm up to 900 exhibitions now. Forty countries around the world and the artworks are in about 80 museums. So you suddenly start thinking about legacy projects and the fact that I can't keep these levels of energy up. I suppose there's something quite nice about projecting yourself into a future, which is quite exciting."
True to his artistic vision of fostering creativity, Jerram envisions the central space as a versatile venue for community engagement. "It will form an event space. It can be used for weddings or educational activities, music, poetry, you name it," he explained. This aligns with his broader artistic philosophy of using creativity to inspire public engagement with important themes, particularly environmental issues and climate change.
Echo Wood represents perhaps the most direct manifestation of Jerram's environmental concerns, following other climate-themed works including Gaia, a seven-meter Earth sculpture using NASA imagery; Helios, a detailed sculpture of the Sun recreating its surface; and Tipping Point, a simulated forest fire combining smoke, lights and sound. "This is a way to physically do something about it. Using creativity to inspire the general public, but also to help use trees to raise a bit of money and create a legacy," Jerram stated.
The artist emphasized art's unique power to communicate environmental messages in accessible ways. "What art can do is communicate messages in a different language that can then reach people in a slightly different way. I'm often collaborating with scientists, but also charities on how to communicate their ideas," he noted. This collaborative approach is evident in his partnership with Avon Needs Trees for the Echo Wood project.
Despite acknowledging the concerning lack of progress in addressing climate change, Jerram maintains an optimistic outlook while recognizing the severity of environmental tipping points. He referenced a comic illustration that resonates with his perspective: "There's this lovely comic illustration of a doctor with a slightly ill looking Earth in front of them on the doctor's chair. The Earth is saying: 'I'm afraid we've got a nasty infection of humans at the moment.' The doctor says: 'Don't worry, it'll soon pass.' We're just the latest invasive species."
The project's sustainable design extends beyond its initial planting phase. The wood from the mature trees will eventually be sustainably harvested for educational and creative projects before replanting continues the cycle of life. "I like the idea of what can you then do with the wood – turn the oak into playground equipment for the schools in the city, or create a boat, or musical instruments for kids in the city," Jerram envisioned.
Funding for the project comes through sponsorship opportunities where companies and individuals can sponsor individual trees, supporting Avon Needs Trees' broader mission of multiple tree-planting projects across the region. Dave Wood, chief executive of Avon Needs Trees, described the installation's symbolic importance: "Standing in the heart of a brand new forest, Echo Wood is a symbol of optimism to us and future generations that with some thought, creativity and determination we can meet the climate and nature crises we're facing. Not quite a message in a bottle but a message in wood, water and sunlight."
The collaboration aims to reach new audiences who might not otherwise engage with environmental conservation efforts. "We want as many people as possible to be thinking about creative ways to meet the climate and nature crises we're facing," Wood explained. "By working with Luke, we're able to engage a whole new set of people who otherwise might not make the journey out into the countryside to see the work we're doing to increase woodland cover in a severely deforested part of the country."
