‘Fallen’ brings new life to eastern hemlock at Olana
‘Fallen’ brings new life to eastern hemlock at Olana
story + photos by niki@hvny.info
A grand eastern hemlock tree that once stood tall on the East Lawn of the home of Hudson River School artist Frederic Edwin Church’s estate in Hudson, will have a new life after being cut down over the winter.
When Church created Olana’s 250-acre landscape in 1872, he planted thousands of native trees on the estate’s hillside, including the eastern hemlock tree that had been logged commercially for leather-making in the 19th century. His drawings and paintings often included fallen trees as a nod to the cycle of nature.
After the native conifer was determined to come down despite attempts by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation to save the tree, contemporary artist Jean Shin was invited to create a new site-specific art installation entitled, “Fallen.”
“While reckoning with the devastating consequences of deforestation in local history, the project invites viewers to observe the natural surroundings more closely, witness nature’s struggles, and mourn what we have lost,” said Shin.
In addition to the central installation piece, Shin will also be identifying the eastern hemlock trees throughout the Olana landscape with leather tags to represent “the fraught relationship between the hemlock and the leather industry. In the 19th century, hundreds of thousands of hemlocks were cut down for the tanning industry, which used the tannin in the tree’s bark for the increasing commercial demands of leather-making.”
Visitors to Olana will get to see the installation in progress during normal park hours, daily 8am to sunset, with the finished piece on view from May 2 through October 31, 2021. Please note: While visiting, Olana they ask that you: Wear a mask, maintain social distance, stay 6 feet apart, visit in small groups (under 25 people) and stay home if you are sick.
Sources:
https://www.olana.org/programs-events/
https://www.olana.org/exhibitions/fallen/
“While reckoning with the devastating consequences of deforestation in local history, the project invites viewers to observe the natural surroundings more closely, witness nature’s struggles, and mourn what we have lost.”
