Trees are powerful and potent allies when we engage in the act of memorialisation and commemoration, bringing layers of meaning and beauty to the practice, and rarely bringing to the fore, the conflict that static and symbolic memorials can elicit.
Yet trees as - and alongside - memorials and as a medium of commemoration, are not without complexity and complication. They present challenges in terms of their long term management, in the perpetuation of the meaning in which they were planted, and the conflict they can generate if they are perceived as not being cared for.
In this talk, Camilla Allen will explore three forms which illuminate these dynamics, including Britain's three tree cathedrals, the role of sacred groves in saving California's coast redwoods, and Sheffield's commemorative WW1 street trees.
Camilla Allen is a research associate in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Sheffield where she undertook her PhD on the 20th century forester and conservationist Richard St. Barbe Baker. Her research focuses upon the relationship we have with trees and uses specific places, people and events to achieve that aim. Along with Jan Woudstra she has edited The Politics of Street Trees which will be published in March 2022 by Routledge.
Camilla’s website
This talk and all our lectures are FREE for Friends of the Botanical Gardens to attend. Members of the public are also welcome to join us on payment of £5 at the door on the day. Live talks are held in the Education Centre in the grounds of the Botanical Gardens - easily accessed via the Thompson Road Entrance.