Entrance Arch

Whale Bone Arch was a working title for this feature which described it very well, even though it has nothing to do with whale bones. There were several particularly curved pine trees growing yards from the entrance. I guess this curved trunk is caused by the tree moving to reach more day light?

John from Kent Wildlife Trust identified which was the best one to use and felled it with a chain saw.

the chosen tree



he's done this before
I can tell

                                  

After quick work by John the tree was down, and I had not even managed to video it....

The branches wiped off quick and in no time
the tree is ready for the next stage

The next stage is a tricky cut running along the whole length of the tree.

 By leaving the two ends still joined and cutting the middle, then doing the ends last. It is essential to get a smooth cut as this will form the new face



                                

Neither of us could really tell how this was going to look or what was the best way to install this thing and it lay on the floor for a couple of weeks waiting to be installed near the entrance. I walked past it several times with Cosmo, looking at it wondering if it would be easier and to install it with the bits I had imagined being in the ground, sticking up in the air. This would avoid having to cut a difficult mitre join during the installation.

this end in the ground

and this end in the air

 John had been thinking exactly the same thing as installation was hard enough already.



view from the trail



view from the main path





So, the feature is very firmly in and stable, while the surounding birch trees wil be cut back or removed to clear the view. How to decorate it, and what be appropriate is the next decision? This will wait a while as other features are going in and have priority. We can't call it the whale bone arch anymore as it does not look like one so much anymore and a bottle kiln is urban not woodland, so again its just sitting at the back of my mind. A spiders web with concentric rings and a circular hole in the centre is where my thoughts for it are right now!

What is very odd, is that from the main path you can't even see it, yet it must be approching 25 feet tall. The bark makes it blend in with its surroundings. A threshold you dont realise your crossing or an invisable door. Approach it from the other side and it is much more visable. I expect it will transform again when the surounding trees are trimmed back or possibly removed altogether.

the installed arch.

Xylophone Experiments?

See now........ what you have are pentatonic or diatonic scales, and dissonance is often a problem on chromatic instruments......er......... fine......I have no musical knowledge whatsoever, but I have really enjoyed just experimenting with this. I think technically speaking I am collecting empirical evidence and data for application when constructing the instrument on a larger scale.

Actually I am just making trial and error experiments on a model xylophone. Choosing small logs of different thickness and cutting them to different lengths. Some I have cut in half longways and removed a lot of wood from the back, hoping this would make them sound better than just a plain log. I googled xylophones and found out that if you measure 22.5% of the total lengh in from each end to find the 'nodes', alternatively you could use the 'sprinkling salt' method?


empirical experiments

My logs are going to be hung vertically, so the location of nodes and support under them seems a little irrelevant, it does change the sound of the log but whose to say it sounds better than just a plain log? I can't.


my experiment with logs cut in half

 These sound different to just plain logs, and I quite like the smooth flat face to engrave designs on. I had to invent ways off attaching them so they stopped spinning round and round when played. With the back scooped off they look like they might have been made by someone who knew what they were doing?



my experiment with whole logs

 The whole logs produce a different sound and I cant tell which is best I will have to consult with my friends at Kent Wildlife Trust. Practically speaking it appears to me that both work just as well, though some pieces of wood are just naff sounding if they are a bit soft or damp, or may be just too small. What you hit the logs with also makes a difference, whether it is a piece of rebar (metal) which is what I used or just another piece of wood? So there are a lot of variables none seem particularly wrong, but then I can't hardly tell if notes go higher or lower.

What I do really like is carving patterns which wrap around the logs, it makes the instrument look rather primeval.......like my musical abilities.



Totem Poles in the Paper

It is always nice to see what you've done in the paper, my friends and relatives certainly have and contacted me to tell me. These poles have been in a a few weeks now and I can see the freshly cut wood just starting to change colour. I guess they will eventually turn a silver grey colour.



right to left: Kathryn Barton, Rob Turner, Roger Day and a yellow telehandler


In the kitchen yesterday, my youngest daughter shouted 'whats that bird on the garden fence'? We all looked round to see what we think was probably either a Goshawk or more likely to have been a sparrow hawk fly off across the back gardens of our neighbours. Coincidence as the I never seen any thing like that in my garden ever before, yet a couple of weeks after the totem poles went in. A sparrow hawk is the basis for the bird of prey on the top of one. The joke at the time when carving it was that I should paint it black, as it has a swept back appearence resembling a stealth bomber.




bird of prey based on a sparrow hawk



There will be other features installed along the Wildart Trail over the next few months or so. 

Totem Poles the First Entrance Feature

There has been a lot of activity in the woods this week, chain saw, totem poles, diggers, cranes, entrance features and the local press.
Roger Day has sculpted the two totem poles and brought my drawings to life. He has worked long hours on these and it was exciting to see the crane putting them in place. They depict species native to these woodlands and celebrate a more diverse habitat and increasing species numbers.



the machine has a free spirit (like the animals it created) tamed by Roger



small tent protection from the rain so cow wheat
carving can continue  



each pole is 5m long  before being placed in the ground 

 

spirtual guardians for Wildart Trail visitors and the future

In the Totem Pole page at the top I have included more photos of the totem poles and the process leading up to their marking the entrance to the Wildart Trail. Thanks to all involved, it was a team effort including Soverign Forestry Contractors and the Kent Wildlife Trust.

New Pages:

I have recently discovered that you can make pages within this blog and they appear at the top under the picture heading up the whole blog. I thought by starting a new page for a each new feature on the Wildart Trail as they progress would be a good idea!

There is alot of things going on in the woods right now; So I decided to start with the giant ant making workshop run by Alan Sage about a week ago. Then start another page about the large totem poles currently being sculpted by Roger Day.  



Roger Day chain saw carving a Totem Pole and er.........Cosmo in the background





technique called 'random weaving' ...................... giant ant




and a couple of Woodpeckers



Nomination for The Culture Awards

In the post the other day this arrived

enclosed with a letter gongratulatiing me and explaing this was the first of what is hoped to become an annual event to celebrate the rich cultural life in the district. It went on to say if I wanted to see information about this years winners then go to http://www.creativecanterbury.com/main.cfm?objectid=67

So congratulations to the winners and although it is my name is on the certificate, this is a partnership project and I have been working with several members of staff with The Kent Wildlife Trust who are enabling the Wildart Trail to happen. It is encouraging that the local authority recognises the efforts made by members of its community especially when times are difficult.

great spotted woodpeker

 

green woodpecker






 

three down one to go

Three of the four totem posts have now been completed and installed. I probably explained earlier that each post is a record of class work and exploration into woodland life by students at local Primary Schools.



Class 6 Churchill Herne Junior School



Class 6 Wallis Herne Junior School





Class 6 Szarbo Herne Junior School



More generally speaking items / events  for the Wildart Trail are beginning to happen these include entrance features, willow weaving workshops, seating, sculptures and more, these will unfold over the summer with some kind conclusion by autum 2011. I will post on this blog in much more detail as items are made, and events draw nearer.  Feedback about the trail so far has been positve and regular dog walkers have mentioned the increase in activity and are expectant !..........The main  improvements to the car park  have also been finished with parking for disabled visitors and much improved surfacing and demarcation, fencing and a pair of swankey new entrance signs.