Multimedia arts project wins Sycamore Gap tree commission after public vote

A new artwork will transform preserved wood from the felled Sycamore Gap tree into a “living archive” after a public vote.

The community arts charity Helix Arts and George King Architects were named winners of the vote on Saturday, after being shortlisted for a National Trust commission in March.

Their joint proposal, ‘The People’s Tree’, will celebrate the much-loved sycamore through participatory storytelling, sound and sculpture.

The National Trust announced the commission to commemorate the Sycamore Gap tree in September 2025, two years after the illegal felling of the landmark beside Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland triggered widespread public anger and grief.

“The tree as it was can never be replaced,” said George King. “But what we can do is create a place for reflection and connections.”

The winning project, chosen from a shortlist of six, received the highest combined score from the public vote and the judges, with the latter saying it demonstrated strong national resonance alongside local sensitivity.

Rather than focusing on a single static memorial, it has several interactive strands, one of which invites people from Northumberland and across the UK to contribute reflections on their relationships with trees and nature.

These recordings will form part of a national sound archive designed to capture memory, grief and connection inspired by the loss of the Sycamore Gap tree.

Cheryl Gavin, the director of Helix Arts, said the idea grew from a belief that the project should respond to that loss through participation rather than monument-making alone.

“We thought there was loads of potential for getting communities involved in this sense of hope. When tragedy strikes, you often lean into resilience, and a participatory arts programme felt like the right response,” she said.

Gavin added that the team would work with communities along the full stretch of Hadrian’s Wall and beyond, saying: “We want to work with diverse communities, including those who haven’t got the chance to access nature.”

Parts of the preserved tree will be used to make “seed pods” to store digital recordings of the spoken contributions, while others will be used to create a separate soundscape by translating its growth rings into an audio format.

Other sections of the seasoned wood will be used to co-create artworks with communities and local artists, to be developed into exhibitions and workshops across the UK. A website will provide opportunities for international participation.

Finally, a combined sound sculpture and time capsule close to Sycamore Gap will protect and preserve a large section of the felled tree, with its own audio archive for visitors to hear. The precise location for this will be chosen in consultation with local communities.

Gavin said: “Artwork polarises people, doesn’t it? There are lots of tastes and preferences, so we’re trying to demonstrate a complex idea.”

The commission, which is expected to begin public engagement this summer with completion planned for autumn 2027, forms a wider legacy programme, including the planting of 49 ‘trees of hope’ saplings across the UK.

The National Trust has confirmed that shoots have been observed growing from the Sycamore Gap stump for a third consecutive year.

Annie Reilly, public engagement director at the National Trust and chair of the commission judging panel, said: “What stood out about this proposal was how it puts a real conversation between people and the tree at its heart.

“It doesn’t try to give one answer to loss. Instead, it invites people to listen, reflect and reconnect — with nature and with each other.”