How Sycamore Gap is printed on the memory at Baltic
It was a natural artwork in the landscape until its sad demise and now the Sycamore Gap tree has a presence at Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead.
Five prints by artist printmaker Shona Branigan, taken from an almost heart-shaped cross-section of the felled sycamore, have gone on display under the heading Heartwood (Sycamore Gap).
They were commissioned by the National Trust and funded by the North East Combined Authority, with the involvement also of Northumberland National Park Authority, the Hadrian’s Wall Partnership and Historic England.
Baltic director Sarah Munro said: “The prints have not only created a lasting legacy of what was an iconic view for so many people, but they give us the chance to see the beauty of the tree in a new way.”
Each print was made using different coloured inks and watercolours and each has been given a distinctive title, including Knowledge, Spirituality, Landscape and History.
The fifth print, Access, was hand-pressed onto heritage rag paper without ink in a special process called blind embossing.
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Visitors can touch this one, feeling the imprint of every ring of the tree under their fingers.
Shona Branigan said: "I felt privileged to be asked to print Sycamore Gap, and I also felt a responsibility to do my best so that I could honour not only the tree itself but all the people who loved the tree.
“As a north easterner I have known Sycamore Gap all my life and visited regularly. The tree was such a haven in the wild landscape.”
She described the printmaking process as “epic”.
"It's a really big piece and a slow process due to it all being done by hand, first creating a printable surface from the rough wood and then applying traditional inks before beginning the slow process of printing using a bone folder tool to reach every nuance of the surface.
"The paper is laid on top and becomes embossed with the 3D shape of the wood and tree rings, which are the embodiment of the landscape in tree cellular form.”
After several hours, she recalled, her muscles were aching. But she was proud of the result.
“It's a testament to the tree, to the life of that tree and the lives of other trees.”
The five prints will be on show at Baltic until January 26, 2025.