'Ash Maps'

Ash dieback is killing many of the trees around me and when it infects a tree it can destroy its structure, making it unpredictable and dangerous to cut down. For this reason, most of the ash trees lining the paths through my local woodland are being felled before the disease affects them too much.

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These pieces come from me wanting to witness the destruction of these trees. The chainsaw marks on the tree stumps highlight the destructive power of man. Whilst these were felled by a conservation organisation for public safety reasons, they were felled because of a disease imported to this country by people, so we are directly responsible for their demise.

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I took a mould from the tree stumps on which I drew maps of routes through the woods with crosses showing felled trees around the paths. I then cast these and mounted them directly on the wall for 'Ash Map 1' and 'Ash Map 3'. For 'Ash Map 2' this is displayed on a painted background map showing the location of the woodland where the tree used to stand.