Heinrich Spillmann

The storms we experienced in 2011 and 2012 in the North East felled many beautiful old trees in Brooklyn. In their own way, trees are records of events that can reach far into the past. The possibility of seeing exposed year rings, which might have grown alongside Abraham Lincoln, or the Civil War, touched me deeply. The understanding that these trunks used to be the nutritional as well as structural links between the huge extensive crowns and the far-reaching underground root systems explained the colossal strength and energy, which the trunks exude.

After the initial cleanups from the storms, the bare tree trunks often remained on the roadside for a while, waiting to be transported to a far off landfill or for mulching. These witnesses of past history and developments were lying on the roadside disabled, much like discarded carcasses.

These magnificent trunks fascinated me every day on my way to and from work. Part of the challenge was the coordination and logistics of bringing them to a place where I could explore them further.

The challenge to build and create with these wild and magnificent tree trunks rather than using processed wood from lumber yards put me on my journey. And the quote by Kameelah Janan Rasheed, “Having abandoned the flimsy fantasy of certainty, I decided to wander,” led me on the road.