Reflecting and Remembering through “Making A Stand” Timber Installation

In 2023, the City of Leeds held a Year of Culture featuring an installation by artist Michael Pinsky in collaboration with Studio Bark. The giant-scale wooden sculpture called "Making A Stand" located in a square does not escape the attention of passersby. People who see it may admire it, have a visit, or even spend some time guessing the message behind it.

Wooden sculpture (cr: Ellen Christina Hancock and Tom Joy)

Located in a square (cr: Ellen Christina Hancock and Tom Joy)

The installation consists of 127 six-meter-high vertical wooden fins. All fins stand on steel struts at the bottom and are supported by steel wire ropes at the top, minimizing damage to the wood. Somewhere in the center part is an area with a polycarbonate canopy propped by five Douglas fir trusses.

Steel struts and steel wire ropes (cr: Ellen Christina Hancock and Tom Joy)

An area with a polycarbonate canopy (cr: Ellen Christina Hancock and Tom Joy)

Through the installation, the team intends to explore the life cycle of timber, a construction material with a much smaller carbon footprint than other materials such as steel and concrete. The wood has absorbed thousands of kilograms of carbon dioxide during its lifetime as a tree for decades before being installed in the square in Leeds. The carbon absorption then stops when the tree reaches a certain year of age and is felled to produce trunks that are ready to use. Therefore, the wood should be utilized wisely so that after being deconstructed when the event is finished, it can be repurposed to prevent large carbon emissions. Not only is its future planned, but each log also has a unique code that can be traced back to its stump in the forest to monitor its life cycle for years.

Lined up Douglas fir fins (cr: Ellen Christina Hancock and Tom Joy)

Forest imitation (cr: Ellen Christina Hancock and Tom Joy)

Other than the deep thought about its origin, these Douglas fir fins are lined up to imitate a forest, reminding that Leeds was once a small settlement in the ancient forest of Leodis. The wood is borrowed from the UK supply chain, and it will be returned and reused after the six-month period of the event, which expires at the end of the year. It is a criticism of the wastefulness of temporary artworks with disposable materials. It is not only for people to reflect, but the timber pieces also convey a message of solidarity with climate protests around the world, which continue to come under increasing pressure from the states.

The texture (cr: Ellen Christina Hancock and Tom Joy)

Stands as a message of solidarity (cr: Ellen Christina Hancock and Tom Joy)