Sympodial Star Dome
Sympodial Star Dome is a living structure grown out of purple willow, Salix purpurea. The structure consists of 30 willow whips grafted together to form a star dome. This base geometry is shaped by generations of students at the Hayground School in Bridgehampton, NY, tessellating into a dense woven surface and climbable play structure over the next decade. The goal of this piece is to engage young people in the creation of a living environment for play and appreciation of the natural world through collaborative arborsculpture. The Sympodial Star Dome engages students in the shaping of their environment as a conversation between plant and human. The conversational articulation of the structure from field to geodesic forest produces a shared space for human and non human beings to exist together through play. Milk weed was planted from root cuttings around the base of the structure to support insect diversity, and chickens fertilize the structure as they hunt for insects in the thick mulch layer. The dome was planted April 13th, 2020, and is now well established. It has been shaped by numerous students the Hayground school and will continue to provide shade and habitat in years to come.
Hayground Students in a planting workshop
Dome on August 27th 2020
End of April 2020
I planted Blue Oyster mycelium in the center of the dome. They fruited prolifically due to the wet spring, and produced pounds of tasty mushrooms. This mycelial mass will later be covered as the sculpture evolves.
I induced inosculation by screwing the trunks together. Over the next few years the trunks will fuse and the cambial tissue will join.
Butterfly Milkweed was planted from root sections in the beginning of April. These plants prefer different environmental conditions and will be planted as the willows grow into a continuous canopy creating shade in the interior of the dome.
This image is the roof of the willow palace planted by Marcel Kalberer 19 years ago in Germany in 1998. Hopefully, this project will grow and morph into a similar form by 2039!
Growth documentation
The same dome the summer 2021
Students shaping the dome in a weaving workshop
Dec 2022
Feb 2023
