The Wych Elm Project

In 2003, a giant and beloved wych elm was felled in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh when it became a danger to the public. However, the body of the tree was sound, and once the timber had been sawn then dried over a period of three years, the Wych Elm Project commenced. Twenty-five craft makers and designers around the country participated in the project, ensuring that the tree will ‘live again’ in the form of furniture, sculpture, jewellery and home craft.

The Wych Elm Project is supported by the Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Forestry Commission Scotland.

Dr Helen Bennett, Head of Creative Industries at the Scottish Arts Council, said: ‘The Scottish Arts Council was pleased to support such an imaginative proposal to bring the public and craftspeople together to give new life to a majestic old tree. The sheer diversity of the ways in which the wood has been used is particularly impressive and a testament to the wealth of creative talent in Scotland’

craftscotland interviewed some of the makers involved, to find out more about what drew them to the project and learn more about the craft produced.

Nigel Bridges

Cabinetmaker and artist craftsman Nigel Bridges became involved in the project in 2006, when a client commissioned him to make a piece of furniture from the wych elm. Nigel was interested in the project as it has the potential to raise awareness of both the environment and the native timbers of Scotland.

“Wych elm is underused as a material, as it can be a difficult timber to work with. I wanted to make something formal from the wood, to show that you could make something quite fine out of it.”

To this end, Nigel created a chair decorated with intricate carvings. On the front is a sheaf of wheat and a sickle, on the reverse a portrait of a wych elm tree with the epitaph ‘Our debt to trees/as deep as roots’.

Nigel has been working to commission since he established his craft in 1989. The Wych Elm exhibition and the accompanying book have given him an opportunity to expose his work to the public, where it might otherwise be held as part of a private collection.

Jane Kelly

A maker of pottery since 1970, Jane Kelly works as a teacher and regularly shows her craft in exhibitions. Jane creates ‘useful wares’ such as jugs, mugs, teapots, bowls, and plates, thrown on the potter’s wheel. She traditionally works in stoneware, porcelain, Raku and local clays decorated with slips and glazes.

In 2007, the RBGE Wych Elm Yurt visited the Penicuik Arts Festival, which Jane helps to organise. The Project immediately appealed to Jane, and when she explained the process that she uses to produce the stunning lustres on her Raku bowls, she was invited to create pieces for the exhibition.

Jane chose to make twenty Raku bowls, fired and then plunged into wych elm sawdust left by the other makers after their pieces were complete. “I chose to make tea bowls in order to keep the design simple and not distract the eye from the colourful effects created by the fire and the wych elm sawdust.”

Jane is particularly pleased with the exhibition book, which she sees as a lasting reminder of the project that can be referred to and teach us about wych elm long after the exhibition closes.

Geoff King

Geoff King, maker of hand carved wooden jewellery, was commissioned to create an Owl Bangle as part of the Wych Elm Project.

Geoff has been working in wood since 1985, when he started designing and making "Geoff King's Original Wooden Toys" in Somerset. Since November 2003, he has designed and made hand carved wooden jewellery, and his collection now includes over one hundred designs of earrings, brooches, kilt pins, combs, necklaces and bangles. He constantly explores new designs, discovering inspiration in the materials and his beautiful surroundings, so the work continues to develop, keeping it fresh and vibrant.

“I feel a great reverence for and deep connection to nature. I have a particular affinity with trees and I love working with wood as a material and take much joy in seeing its beauty. My inspiration comes mostly from the natural world and its many forms. I find myself both moved and inspired by my love of nature, trees and wood, the wonderful shapes, the richness of the colours, textures and patterns in the grain.”

Through the Wych Elm project, Geoff hopes to bring his diverse craft collection to a new audience.

The Wych Elm Project features as the inaugural exhibition in the John Hope Gateway in the Botanic Gardens, with the craft produced for the project on display. The exhibition is accompanied by a full colour publication, and a video about the project has been produced by the Royal Botanic Gardens.

The exhibition is open from 9.30am to 6pm Monday to Friday, and from 9am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit the Wych Elm project website.

About the Wych Elm

The wych elm (Ulmus glabra) is Scotland’s only native elm tree. The tree, renowned for its strength and elasticity, and with its confetti like seeds, has been part of the Scottish landscape for some 8,500 years. In recent times, the tree has fallen under the threat of Dutch elm disease, a fungus that has ravaged millions of elms across the UK.

Feature

The Wych Elm Project