Philippe Handford
Artist Philippe Handford’s “Reconnected” sculptures are reportedly intended not as a commentary on logging or forest destruction, but on the witch trials that took place in Pendle, England, in the 17th century. Which … is weird? But they would also work as logging commentary, so OK, let’s pretend they are that.
Philippe Handford
Handford sliced up two trees that had been vandalized — illegally cut down and then left where they fell. Then he used custom-built metal braces to connect the slices back up into a twisted reflection of the trees’ former selves.
The sculptures are deliberately uncanny — in real life because they’re supposed to harken back to the experiences of witch trial victims, and in my head because they are sort of like undead neck-bolted Frankenstein’s Monster trees. But they’re sort of beautiful as well. Still, we hope Handford doesn’t get any more raw material.
