Public invited to pick Sycamore Gap Tree artwork commission
sycamore gap tree — The National Trust has opened a public vote asking people to choose which of six shortlisted artists should make an artwork from half the timber of the illegally felled landmark, with voting opening on March 14 and running until 28 March ET; the public ballot will account for 30% of the final decision and a judging panel will supply the remaining 70%. The commission is described as “nationally important” and the winning project will be announced later in the spring, with the final artwork expected to be completed by 2028. The wood has been stored to season for the past 28 months and is now ready for artists to work with.
Sycamore Gap Tree: shortlist and how the vote works
The National Trust invited artists, organisations and creative agencies to submit concepts that use half of the tree’s timber to shape the next chapter of the site. Six proposals were shortlisted: Alex Hartley and Tom James; Helix Arts in partnership with George King Architects; Mary Dalton; non zero one; Sam Williams Studio; and Trigger. The six proposals come from creative teams based across the north-east of England, Devon, London, Hampshire, Sussex and Bristol. Voting opened on March 14 ET and runs until 28 March ET, with public input forming 30% of the final score and a panel of nature and art experts contributing 70%.
Choices on offer and what they would do with the wood
The shortlist presents distinct approaches to memory, community and reuse. One entry proposes an elevated platform made from the timber that would lift visitors into the space where the sycamore gap tree once stood and then tour nationally. Another offers a community engagement programme that would build a national archive of stories, a touring exhibition and a local sound sculpture at the Gap. A proposal from a Brighton-based studio would collect stories of a thousand trees and return them to the site as a shared reflection. Other shortlisted ideas include transforming the wood into artists’ materials for new works, distributing inlaid sycamore seeds in a nationwide lottery, and staging a live sonic event at the Gap that uses instruments and carved seeds from the wood.
Immediate reactions
National Trust public engagement director Annie Reilly said: “Each of the six proposals honours the tree in a different way, and we want people to choose the idea that captures what the Sycamore Gap tree meant to them. ” Reilly is chair of the judging panel that will combine expert scores with the public vote. The tree was illegally felled in September 2023 by two men from Cumbria; their actions prompted widespread outrage and grieving for the landmark, and they were later jailed for their role in the criminal damage.
Background in brief
The tree stood in a dip along Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland and dated from the 1800s. After the timber was recovered, it was stored to season for 28 months and then made available for the commission process. The National Trust framed the call as a way to shape a “nationally important” public artwork that preserves memory and invites new public conversations.
What’s next
Voting remains open until 28 March ET; the public’s choice will be weighted at 30% of the outcome and the judging panel’s scores will make up 70%. The winner will be announced later in the spring and the completed artwork is expected by 2028. As the shortlist tour and public ballot conclude, attention will turn to the announced winner and the rollout of the chosen project — an outcome that will determine how the sycamore gap tree’s timber is transformed into a new public work and how the fallen landmark is remembered.
