The Sycamore Gap tree will come back ‘transformed’

The Telegraph reports:

The National Trust has invited artists to turn remnants of the felled Sycamore Gap tree into a work of art.

Announcing the commission on the second anniversary of the act of vandalism, the charity said the competition would deliver “an extraordinary opportunity to create a nationally significant thing” from the timber.

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The National Trust has now invited artists and organisations to submit proposals that will ‘breathe life’ into the remaining wood and inspire people to look after nature.

Up to five artists will then be shortlisted to develop their proposals, before one artist or partnership is selected in early 2026.

Annie Reilly, the National Trust’s public engagement director, said: ‘Two years ago, we lost something very special from a much-loved landscape. This commission is a way of marking that iconic tree’s legacy while continuing an important conversation about our collective relationship with nature.

‘After carefully looking after the wood since the felling, we’re now ready to bring it back to the people, in a completely new and transformed way.

‘We want artists and organisations to come up with proposals that will inspire the public to connect with nature and the landscapes around them, using the timber as a symbolic focal point. 

‘It could be a design for a single artwork for one location or several pieces or something more dispersed or participatory. We want to reach and engage many people and can’t wait to see the ideas.’