Living Lounge Chair
(Bill Gurstelle is guest blogging here on Boing Boing. He is the
author of several books including Backyard
Ballistics, and the recently-published Absinthe
and Flamethrowers)
Thanks to Carol and Emily for sending me the link.
At the time that I was designing this Chair I had no knowledege of anyone else who was trying to shape living trees anywhere in the world. Knowing that if I had theliving chair idea, many others would have the same thought go through their mind. Some may have been able to act upon the idea, according to their life experiences and circumstances.pooktre.com
Thanks to Carol and Emily for sending me the link.
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I, too, prefer to don my black Crocs(tm) whilst communing with nature.
That could be the coolest thing I've seen in a long, long time.
Now I've got to go buy me some land.
How long would it take to grow something like that?
this is a lot of times better than the puking chimp
@Nanuq, I'm guessing around 10-11 years, give or take.
Unless the photo and linked page are lying to us. :-)
For more, check out Richard Reams's Arborsculpture page at www.arborsmith.com - Previously BB'd at http://www.boingboing.net/2006/07/25/interview-with-an-ar.html!
There's a whole park of shaped trees here:
http://www.gilroygardens.org/attractions.html
But how many years before you need a ladder?
you would never need a ladder the growth is at the ends of the branches. You might need to trim sprouts that shoot out of the trunk and branches. and with such a wierd angle you wouldn't want it to get too topheavy but it would never require a ladder to use.
You could always form a ladder out of another tree and use that. But that would require planning.
you never need a ladder. the branches stay at the same height, only bigger as the years go by.
Think they could engineer trees to do this without all the hard work?
It looks cool, but... Doesn't this make the tree "suffer"?
Sorry, too many years hanging out with vegans and harekrisnas :)
I wonder if that guy's next project is to grow into his Crocs...
Yes Nawel, the trees do suffer a great deal. That's the joy of it. Listening to the screaming of the trees as you sit and enjoy a cool beverage. Ahhhh, the good life.
Unicorn chaser for the Crocs.
I wish my furniture was alive. But then I remember in Pink Flamingos how peoples' furniture was rejecting them, so, no.
Lazy-Bonsai recliner.
In the word of a recent guest blogger: Gnarly
I had one of these as a kid, except the seat was about 40 ft up in the air, was only one branch wide and the back of the seat was the tree trunk. The effort in getting up there enhanced the relaxation. The tree came equipped with crunchy sickel pears(in season).
Somewhat incongruous that someone should be 'at one with nature', take so much care to meld with it, wears natural cotton clothes, yet also wears Crocs. Our descendants will wonder what on earth people were thinking by allowing these to be made and for actually wearing them. My stance is not from a style or fashion position (although completely relevant)but from an environmental one. With an emphasis on the mental...
Now he needs to do the same thing except in pots so he can move it to the LIVING room.
Some people like the shoes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4VK4SOmw14
"Crocs" are this generation's "Earth Shoes."
Wait a minute. . . when did Steven Wright start doing topiary?
I'm more struck by the paradox of someone who wants to be at home with nature on something so obviously made from sheer force of will and artifice. Granted it's kinder to the environment, the tree is still doing it's job as a green lung, but it it will eternally wear the marks wrought by man on it, and eternally wait supine in servitude - like saying you like celebrate bears by declawing one and training it to walk on it's hind legs and carry your caramel mochachino venti for you - it's kinder than not making a bear rug out of it but you make it do things that are un-bearish. It's unbearale (sorry couldn't resist the pun).
Hey look at my piece of art! I call it "painting" at the time I made this piece I ha not knowledge of anyone else who was trying to apply paint to canvas anywhere else in the world!
Hi this is Becky from Pooktre
Nawel,
Regarding your concern for the trees, we start with a seedling and guide the new growth of the tree, resulting in even and balanced growth. Our way of shaping is a very gentle, but time consuming. Not bend already formed branches.
Some people try to do it quickly with older trees and this is when they run into problems. If you bend a branch of a tree this is when the damage accrues and leads to unpredictable results. Which is easily seen because it results in uneven growth and die back.
The problems seem to arise once you go beyond the sapling’s normal flexing range
Happy growing
I would like to add this link as well. Their is more then just one tree artest in the world you know. :-) http://www.treeshapers.net/visionary-creators.html
Crocs rule.