‘Archive Tree’ : Alkmaar : 2011

The archive of the city of Alkmaar was in need of a new extension. In front of the old building stands an old ash tree. I decided to ‘fold’ the contours of this ash tree into the new building, so that the sculpture will start on the street, become a ceiling piece, a mural, a tapestry and then finally end up in the court-yard as a miniature version of the real tree. This way, the tree will become part of the building that houses the archive. As a living inhabitant of the city of Alkmaar, the tree will also be factually represented in the archive, and when it eventually dies it will already be sealed within the building it once stood in front of, becoming part of the city’s recorded history.