Are ye the ghosts of fallen leaves, O flakes of snow, For which, through naked trees, the winds A-mourning go? – John B. Tabb

For a winter installation in Toronto, we proposed a tree which lost its foliage in anticipation of spring as opposed to autumn; a homage to the tree, but only backwards.

Every autumn in Toronto, the leaves fall and signal the arrival of the long Canadian winter. The trees become barren and take on a sense of loneliness, a great contrast to the leafy joyousness of the summer months.

In memory of the summer tress, the design creates the canopy lost during winter by reinterpreting the shadows, coverage and protection offered by the leaves. The balloon canopy creates a sense of place as an anti-thesis to those offered during the summer. As the days pass by and spring approaches, the balloons drift away in a welcoming countdown towards the arrival of spring while carrying seeds of warmth around the city. The winter tree belongs both to the Beaches as well as the city of Toronto.

Location
Toronto, Canada

Status
Competition

Typology
Installation

Year
2014