To artist and photographer Roel Jacobs, a tree is a kind of sanctuary. The goal of his “Monumental Tree Project” is to plant a tree in meaningful locations in cities. Middelheim Museum is a symbolic spot. “ The sculptures in the park are surrounded by magnificent old trees. For most artists, these trees figure only as a backdrop or are at most a source of inspiration. But a tree is in itself a sculpture formed by nature, a living monument “ states Jacobs. For his ‘Art’ tree, Jacobs wanted a unique seedling. He found it in the famous Ginkgo biloba, a 1000-year-old tree in Japan. The seed was collected by Jef Van Meulder, director of the Bokrijk Arboretum, and Dirk De Meyere, Outdoor Collections Manager of the National Botanical Gardens of Belgium, during a trip to Japan with the International Dendrological Society in October 2008. This tree, according to the artist, suited best to the soil conditions and tree collection of the park. The tree as a work of art is a work ‘in progress’, each visit will show an addition. The goal is for the tree to remain forever in the spot which has been chosen for it at Middelheim and to give it enough space to grow into a monumental presence. The project itself is presented as an urban planning request. The growth of a tree is like the construction of a cathedral: it may need some 200 years. There used to be a big monumental oak or lime tree on each village common. Nowadays most have dissapeared, and that is a pity. Jacobs sees the tree as a monument in its own right. In 2010 the exhibition ‘New Monuments’ opened at the Middelheimmuseum. Many monuments were erected on the urban streets and squares in the18th and 19th century. Some artists rebelled (reacted) against this tradition, others elaborated on it. Either way questioning the function of the traditional monument as art in the public space.
It took a while before the artwork rooted in the museumpark; plagued by drought and rodents, two specimens died before the third one in 2015 finally catched on. A Chestnut fence was installed at the instigation of the artist. It indicates the girth of the stem after 600 years and protects the young tree from animals and overenthousiastic members of the public.
diameter: 400 cm (perk) height: 50 cm (perk) omtrek: 12 cm (stam) height: 105 cm (boom) omtrek: 7.5 cm (stam) height: 122 cm (boom) width: 75 cm (boom)
