Under the Baobab Tree

Under The Baobab Tree is now at The Southbank Centre in London and is part of the Festival of the World exhibition. Students from Chelsea College of Art and Design have created the sculpture from stacked rings of fabric from around the globe.  The rings, some 14 feet wide, were used to build the tree before it was covered in 80 different types of fabric. The work was created in a barn and was inspired by Africa's baobab tree, which is a symbol of community. This huge tree sculpture is supposed to reflect the way we live in cities: culture stacked on culture.

Creative director Beatrix Eden: “During the summer of 2012, as thousands of people gather in London, visitors from across the globe will be stepping closer to one another. Inspired by the idea of the space between strangers becoming smaller we created the Baobab Tree as a unique meeting place for chance encounters sparking new conversations. Every culture uses fabrics and patterns, whether in traditional dress, uniform or decoration. Fabrics have always travelled, designs crossing borders, being altered and traded back. Within the fabric of our tree we hope that visitors will recognise threads from their own cultures woven into this meeting place at the heart of a global gathering.”


Building the sculpture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hGsFf0XDKs&feature=relmfu
About the fabric designers: http://baobab.staticloud.com