Goldsworthy uses this particular work in order to represent the often harmful relationship between wood and stone; the constant battle between farmland and forested landscapes. In Hanging Trees, the centre of the work- the tree, representing the natural landscape- is lying horizontally in what is strikingly not unlike a freshly dug grave. Lining the so called ‘grave’ are four high walls of stone-work symbolising the destructive nature of farming, in the way it acts as a tomb; trapping the tree. It is a powerful work that explores the often neglected idea of the battle between farming and of the natural forests. These two conflicting environments exist in a mutually exclusive relationship; through the choosing of one, the other is ultimately destroyed: through either it’s destruction, or through it’s lack of existence. Through this work, an important question is raised, asking the audience just how do they, as the human race, decide which of the two is more important. Both are important to the development and success of the human race, yet they destroy each other: which is more important to have an abundance of? The effects of farming upon the natural environment is an idea explored through Goldsworthy’s Hanging
Goldsworthy uses this particular work in order to represent the often harmful relationship between wood and stone; the constant battle between farmland and forested landscapes. In Hanging Trees, the centre of the work- the tree, representing the natural landscape- is lying horizontally in what is strikingly not unlike a freshly dug grave. Lining the so called ‘grave’ are four high walls of stone-work symbolising the destructive nature of farming, in the way it acts as a tomb; trapping the tree. It is a powerful work that explores the often neglected idea of the battle between farming and of the natural forests. These two conflicting environments exist in a mutually exclusive relationship; through the choosing of one, the other is ultimately destroyed: through either it’s destruction, or through it’s lack of existence. Through this work, an important question is raised, asking the audience just how do they, as the human race, decide which of the two is more important. Both are important to the development and success of the human race, yet they destroy each other: which is more important to have an abundance of? The effects of farming upon the natural environment is an idea explored through Goldsworthy’s Hanging