| Source: Nature News, November - December 2003 |
| Tree Art
and Conservation - written by Shawn Lum, Vice-president, Nature Society (Singapore) In September 2002, Mr Joseph Lai, together with Ms Chuah Ai Lin and Mrs Angie Ng, made a startling discovery - they located an old tree just off Halton Rd in Changi, and found that it belonged to a species that was previously thought to have gone extinct in Singapore. |
| Exactly
two months later, there was more startling news, except that this
time round, the announcement was as tragic as the news in September
was triumphant: the rediscovered tree had been cut down, a victim,
perhaps of ignorance, misjudgement, or sheer disregard for venerable
trees. The tree belonged to the meranti family (Dipterocarpaceae),
a group of trees inhabiting primary forests. The tree belonged to
a species named Hopea sangal. Nearly a year after the inexplicable felling of this Hopea sangal tree, its trunk lives on, not as a relict of the ancient primary forests of Changi, but as a piece of art, or rather, a series of artworks. In an unprecedented community project, the Singapore Sculpture Society and the National Parks Board, with the support of the Urban Redevelopment |
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Authority, Nature Society (Singapore) and the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity
Research, NUS, organised the Hopea sangal Tree Sculpture Symposium,
a month-long programme that ended on 2nd October 2003. The Symposium aimed to use as a vehicle for the expression of environmental issues, for raising awareness of our natural heritage and its conservation, and for engaging the community in the creation of the sculptures. Nine locally-based sculptors, recruited by artists and Symposium organisers Ms Han Sai Por and Ms Wang Ruo Bing, worked on various sections of the Hopea sangal trunk. The underlying concept for the pieces, each an interpretation of the theme by its sculptor, was for them to collectively tell us something about Singapore and about ourselves, through the medium of the Hopea sangal tree. Each carving represented an era of Singapore history dating back from 150 years ago, the estimated time when the Hopea sangal was a germinating seed on the forest floor at Changi. Art is unique in that beauty and meaning lie with the beholder, but if these sculptures lead us to give pause and to think about things, then we will have been touched by this tree even in its transformed state. The Nature Society's contributions to the event included an exhibition featuring posters, books, and educational displays pertaining to forests and trees. A talk on 'Old trees and our heritage' |
| and
hands-on activities for children were also
on the programme. One of the highlights of the Symposium was a vivid
demonstration as to the enormity of the fallen
tree: adults and kids alike lay down on an unfurled roll of paper,
tracing the outline of their bodies with arms stretched upwards. Drawn
end to end, the silhouettes of 21 people could be accommodated in
the 35 metres that constituted the length of the trunk used to make
the sculpture. Trees have a way of providing perspective. The completed works, currently drying and awaiting treatment for preservation, will be permanently displayed in a well-visited spot in Changi, near the place of birth of the Hopea sangal which gave us so much optimism when discovered and so much anguish when felled. |
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| The Hopea sangal Tree Sculpture Symposium was a community-based initiative that commemorates a tree, nature, and our heritage. Although the sculptors involved in the creation of the artworks gave of their time and skills at almost no charge, the process still required the outlay of funds, generously provided by the Lee Foundation and the National Arts Council. The Sculpture Society are still short on funds needed for the chemical treatment and protection of the Hopea sangal wood sculptures. All donations, large or small, will be appreciated and can be sent to Nature Society (Singapore) together with a note to state that it is for the Hopea sangal project. |