Only Tree (With Nest)

The tree branch and nest were observed and collected
during the winter months then cast in bronze using
the lost wax process. Bronze is recognized as one
of the most important materials used in ancient
sculpture. I am interested in how bronze material in
this artwork transforms a common tree branch into
a valuable memorial of our changing environment.
The silhouette of the tree branch is a metaphor
for the whole tree, the missing tree. The birds are
implied but no longer present, the nest is the shape
of their absence. The particular shape of this nest
is formed by three lateral shoots from the tree
branch. The nest built between the shoots is the
unique shape of what is not there, a home made in
the missing places. The tree branch, fragile nest and
migrating bird species serve as a memorial to the
ever-changing search for home and belonging.
—Emily Arthur