TAKING ROOT

Visitors arriving into Leeds city centre have been greeted by an extraordinary sight. A remarkable sculptural 'forest' has appeared in the main public square outside Leeds railway station. Comprising 127 seven-metre-high timber fins, this quietly powerful temporary installation, entitled 'Making A Stand', aims to 'disrupt' the popular pedestrian route by creating an awe-inspiring artwork using commercially grown timber

'borrowed' from the construction supply chain, which can be repurposed when the work is dismantled at the end of the year.

Amidst the ongoing discourse surrounding climate protests and their impact on everyday lives, 'Making A Stand' is a thought-provoking artistic intervention that invites people to pause, explore and contemplate major environmental issues in a visually striking and provocative manner.

The installation is co-created by acclaimed visual artist Michael Pinsky and awardwinning environmental architects Studio Bark (both known for creating work that challenges the status quo on climate change and urban design). It is one of 12 signature projects commissioned as part of LEEDS 2023’s transformational Year of Culture, and is inspired by the city’s origins as a forested area called Leodis over a thousand years ago, which gave rise to the name ‘Leeds’.

The co-creators of 'Making A Stand' aim to draw attention to the urgent need for the built environment industry to replace carbon-intensive materials like concrete and steel with more sustainable alternatives, such as timber. The project aims to ignite a conversation surrounding material life cycles and to demonstrate that large-scale, temporary art can also be created in a sustainable way.

The timber fins, which have been 'borrowed' from the supply chain at a point between felling and stacking, are positioned vertically making them quite literally 'stand up' like a stand of trees in nature. The fins work together with a webbed canopy of steel wire ropes and steel struts, acting in tension and compression to ensure minimal damage to the wood so that it can be repurposed at the end of the year, minimising waste while maximising opportunities for carbon capture and storage.

Artist Michael Pinsky says: “It’s crucial to di erentiate between forests grown as crops for synchronised harvesting and forests left undisturbed to mature. Both types of forests play a vital role in carbon capture and contribute to a sustainable planet. For 'Making A Stand' our emphasis lies with commercially grown wood suitable for construction. For the last century or more, wood has been overlooked as a building material despite medieval structures adorned with wooden beams dating back hundreds of years. We want to draw attention to the potential of timber as a low carbon construction material and encourage conversations surrounding material life cycles. 'Making a Stand' serves as a reminder of the climate crisis and that we have been able to live symbiotically with nature for centuries – this city is even named after the ancient forest upon which it is built. We can do this again, as long as we channel our astonishing technical ingenuity towards an ecologically focused future.”

The project uses timber felled from sustainable forests in the UK where wood is grown for use in construction. Sliced into ‘fins’ by Whitney Sawmills in Herefordshire, the final stages of fabrication took place at Stage One, a specialist fabricator based near York.

Wilf Meynell, director at Studio Bark, adds: “The Douglas Fir Trees used in the construction of 'Making A Stand' have been meticulously chosen from sustainable forests within the UK. This selection was essential as it addresses the issue of the UK's heavy reliance on imported timber for construction. Our objective in sourcing the wood in this country is to 'lock up' as much embodied carbon as possible, aligning with our commitment to create a sustainable temporary installation. Each Douglas Fir fin can even be traced back to the precise stump in the forest using a unique code, which will enable us to track the journey of its lifecycle for many years to come.”

'Making A Stand' will remain in situ in City Square until the end of 2023, hosting a series of inspiring activities and events from yoga and dance to poetry and music. Kully

Thiarai, creative director and CEO of LEEDS 2023, says: “'Making A Stand' represents a profound creative statement and one we hope will be an awe-inspiring intervention for the thousands of passersby who cross the square daily. We are inviting everyone to come explore and consider the power of art in addressing pressing environmental concerns. Michael Pinsky and Studio Bark have created something incredibly ambitious with this beautiful yet poignant installation, which will o er a place for quiet contemplation and conversation as well as a stunning backdrop to celebrate creativity throughout the year.”