tree sweater

not sure of the story behind this one, was driving near city hall and saw this tree had been outfitted with a genuine knit sweater. knitting it is one thing but mounting the sweater on the branches had to be quite a task.

addendum:

Sculpture in the Heights is an exhibition of 8 works by Ohio sculptors at a venue not traditionally associated with art: a mile-long “ring road” at Severance Towne Centre.

Tree Cozy by Carol Hummel

Hummel has crocheted a cozy for a tree in front of Cleveland Heights City Hall at Severance Town Centre. It is made of brightly colored nylon and synthetic material that will weather the Northern Ohio climate for the two-year term of the exhibition without impeding the growth of the tree or harming wildlife.

For the past two years, Hummel has been working with crocheted yarn as a metaphorical sculptural material. This project involves covering a tree-a natural object representing masculinity and strength-with a cozy-an emphatically handmade blanket representing femininity and comfort.

Scale, color, and material are utilized to create a sculpture that is experienced physically while opening the door for psychological, emotional, and/or intellectual contemplation. It can be interpreted on a variety of levels.

On the most obvious level, it is a piece of clothing, personifying the tree and keeping it cozy and colorful throughout the year, enhancing the beauty of nature as well as the landscape of Northern Ohio.

On another level, the brightly colored crocheted cozy wraps the tree in personal and cultural nostalgia evoking memories of bygone times and places when life was good.

On yet another level, the cozy softens the strong tree form while also emphasizing it. It is meant to simultaneously caress and encase the tree. The cozy covering the tree fluctuates between comforting blanket and suffocating cover-up; it conceals as much as it protects; it hides as much as it reveals.

Hummel, who obtained her MFA in sculpture in 2004 from Kent State University, has an eclectic background educationally and professionally as a photographer, journalist, editor, and owner of a construction company.

a more recent photograph taken in the fall of 2006.

the anniversary issue taken in Dec of 2006.

-Added to the Cream of the Crop pool as Most Favorited.

also of interest.. a crew of knitters... tagging the inner city gangsta style.