An unconventional one for sure; at first sight you would be forgiven for thinking muf's 'The Wood For The Trees' is simply a tree which has been placed on its side and fenced off, and well, you'd be right. However, there is more to this piece than that, as the text from the Yan's recent archive exhibit explains:

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"A huge oak is elevated above a tapestry of native woodland plants, held in a seemingly motionless suspense, the tree evolves on a daily basis. Grasses and brambles shoot from the shattered rock entwined in the vast root plate, whilst all manner of lichen and fungi slowly take hold in the creases and crevices as the tree sheds its soft exterior.

The huge tree blew over in 2005 and was relocated to create a striking entrance to the new visitor centre. The tree is accompanied by a very unique sound composition which plays in the archway entrance to the courtyard. This fuses soundbites of interviews with Forestry Commission staff and the call of the Hen Harrier, a bird of prey which would adopt the same ecological niche as the Sitka Spruce tree."

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I must admit, the first time I walked through the refurbished visitor centre entrance, the bird noises caught me by surprise - they are loud and very convincing, resulting in unsuspecting visitors looking around for the source of the warbling.

 

As for muf itself, it is the brainchild of Juliet Bidgood and Florian Heilmeyer, and specialises in art for the public realm, attempting to find a middle ground between experience and occupation. The details of their work at Grizedale can be found on the muf website, where the budget for 'The Wood For The Trees' is given as being £75,000. I sincerely hope the Hen Harrier saw some of that money as payment for its sterling vocal work.