The forked forest path (1998)

Olafur Eliasson

branches and saplings

Classification:

Installation, Photograph

Materials:

Branch, Sapling

Physical Object Description:

Installation with wood branches forking out a pathway for visitors to walk through, branches and saplings, 1998

Dimensions:

dimension variable cm

Credit:

Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from Arts Council England, 2004

Scheme:

Special Collection Scheme (1997-2004): Fine Art

Ownership history:

Purchased from Tanya Bonakdar, New York by the Contemporary Art Society through its Special Collection Scheme with the aid of Lottery funding from Arts Council England, 2004; presented to the Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne, 2015

Relationship:

Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York Towner Eastbourne

Subject:

Forest

The Forked Forest Path (1998) by the Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, known for his unusual interventions which reference the natural world and explore the relationship between culture and nature, when installed in a gallery takes the viewer on a journey, interacting with the natural world. The trees have been sourced, as specified by the artist, from a forest near to the Towner in Eastbourne, East Sussex, and are indigenous to the UK. For the exhibit, they are environmentally sourced, through the natural felling process - not cut down. The barren trees, without their leaves, create an ominous and eerie presence in a gallery space. Visitors must walk through the installation, Hansel and Gretel like, to see what awaits for them on the other side. The pathway forks, and a choice must be made. It creates a sensory experience, as trees fill the gallery wall to wall, floor to ceiling.

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