A new, outdoor pop-up exhibition at Liverpool ONE tells the history of the Liverpool City Region, its people and green spaces through trees and calls on locals to share their own pictures and stories.
On Friday 16th February a 20-metre-long art display on School Lane and multiple tree integrated displays on Paradise Street were unveiled showcasing photographs, stories and poems about trees submitted by residents across the region. The images and stories have been submitted via Tree Story, a project set up by local art galleries Open Eye Gallery and dot-art back in 2020 during lockdown.
They invited people living in the Liverpool City Region to take photographs of trees that were special to them in some way and submit their story explaining why, which were then uploaded to an interactive map. Now, the galleries are working with Liverpool ONE to showcase a selection of these stories and encourage visitors to get involved themselves.
Passers-by can scan the QR code shown on the pop-up exhibition and on trees along Paradise Street to submit their own pictures of trees relating to their family histories, memories, and daily lives.
And, to celebrate the exhibition’s launch, The Mersey Forest marked this occasion giving away tree saplings for visitors to take away and plant.
Donna Howitt, Place Strategy Director for Liverpool ONE, said: “Our city’s green spaces have a profound effect on the wellbeing of residents. Connecting with nature is incredibly beneficial to our mental and physical health, which is why at Liverpool ONE we take proud in looking after our green spaces for visitors to enjoy alongside our ever-growing retail, dining and entertainment offering. We’d love our visitors to take this opportunity to stop and connect with nature through the stunning images on display and contribute to the Tree Story project with their own experiences of nature.”
Lucy Byrne, Managing Director of dot-art, hopes the display at Liverpool ONE will inspire visitors to think about how nature has benefitted them through hard times such as the Covid pandemic and in their day-to-day lives since. She said: “Tree Story is a fantastic project which has already engaged hundreds of people of all ages across the city region since its launch during lockdown. Many of us gained a renewed appreciation for the outdoors while we weren’t able to do the activities we usually enjoyed, and this seems to have stuck with us. We are absolutely delighted to bring together a selection of the Tree Stories so far uploaded to our interactive map and showcase them in such a prominent and high-profile location as Liverpool ONE. We can’t wait to see what fascinating and thought-provoking new stories will be shared by visitors.”
Maria Gulina, Communications and Content Producer for Open Eye Gallery, said: “We were fascinated by all the heart-warming Tree Stories shared with us. Urban trees are crucial in mitigating climate change and also reflect our cultural heritage, as they bear witness to historical events and our everyday life. Trees, parks and green areas are invaluable for our mental health, and they help us form meaningful connections with the place where we live. We are looking forward to reading new Tree Stories from all across the Liverpool City Region, and we are grateful to Liverpool ONE and The National Lottery Heritage Fund for making this amazing project possible.”
