Fallen trees "resurrect" and meaningful messages

Designer Tia-Thuy Nguyen used more than 6 tons of metal, thousands of stainless steel and quartz leaves and 6,000 hours of work to complete the art installation titled “Resurrection”.

From Fall to Rebirth

The 20-meter-tall soapberry tree in the Co Tan flower garden belongs to a group of trees imported from Africa by the French to be planted as urban green trees on a pilot basis (this process began in the late 19th century). After more than 60 years of flourishing, this soapberry tree, along with 25,000 other green trees in Hanoi, was knocked down by Typhoon Yagi on September 7, 2024.

According to artist Tia-Thuy Nguyen, everything has the ability to change and grow, just like a dead tree can become a beautiful work of art. Therefore, she transformed the life of the rosewood tree, giving it a new shape, a new life.

Uprooted mahogany tree after Typhoon Yagi in September 2024

Tia-Thuy Nguyen said it took her nearly 4 months to complete this work, following the original shape of the tree trunk to create the shape, welding many steel sheets on top in an inlaid pattern. After much research, calculation and experience from the work 'Flower of Life', 2023 (Hoa Doi, 2023) in France, she and her colleagues have perfected the technique as well as the aesthetics to create the work 'Resurrection' in more than 6,000 hours.

Designer Tia-Thuy Nguyen with her work in progress.

First, 5mm thick stainless steel plates are hand-hammered to fit the shape of the tree trunk. Next, the craftsmen will weld them tightly, creating rough knots and grooves that adhere to the rough bark to create a metallic, iridescent shell that reflects when light shines on it. This outer metal layer is both the frame of the work and the tree’s attractive jewelry. The branches are shaped to simulate the natural, winding curves and lush foliage of real tree branches. Thousands of shimmering steel leaves and colorful quartz “flowers” ​​sing in the sunlight.

With meticulous calculation of every corner, Tia-Thuy Nguyen and her collaborators show their efforts to push back the desolation of death. She wishes to 'capture' the different phenomena that occur around the work, linking destruction and reconstruction, disintegration and harmony, death and rebirth.

Bringing the public closer to installation art

'Resurrection' after being dressed in a new coat, rearranged in the same old place where it had lived a green past life. The acacia tree still stood still, but it did not just silently cast its shadow but became more alive, responding to every drop of sunlight touching its newly dressed body. The life and energy of 'Resurrection' did not only lie in itself, but also in its contact with the surrounding world. Light, in an unintentional moment, was 'trapped' into Tia-Thuy Nguyen's game - each steel leaf, each quartz "flower" reflected and sparkled every time a ray of sunlight fell on it.

The work becomes a connecting thread, not only between the viewer and the natural light, but also between them and each memory present within. A timely ray of sunlight will make the heart of the tree shine.

The work "Resurrection" is being completed.

The uniqueness of the work lies not in its overwhelming size but in the details that give life to the object. 'Resurrection' evokes in the viewer many curiosity about the shape and origin of a work, while also suggesting many different approaches to the same work of art. With 'Resurrection', the dead tree is the beginning of a "new chapter", a form of relief when overcoming the burden of existence and perhaps most importantly, the manifestation of beauty in the midst of the storm.

The work has received attention and support from the Hanoi City People's Committee and the Hoan Kiem District People's Committee, aiming to restore and beautify public spaces after storm Yagi, create artistic and cultural highlights for the district, develop cultural industries in the capital, and at the same time promote the historical and heritage values ​​of urban trees.

According to designer Tia-Thuy Nguyen, the installation art exhibition "Revival" is scheduled to open at 4:00 p.m. on April 22, 2025 at Co Tan Flower Garden, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi.

Some pictures of the work "Resurrection":

Create root shape for the work.

Body grafting for the work.

Attach leaves to the tree.

Quartz balls are attached to the tree.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/cay-do-hoi-sinh-va-nhung-thong-diep-mang-nhieu-y-nghia-post872603.html