The Story Tree

The Story Tree is a joyful, interactive light installation that tells stories shared by residents about their city or locality.

Outdoors at night, a 3 metre translucent pine tree glitters with light. Visitors turn a large wheel at its base, rotating the tree’s centre and animating scenes inside.

Inside each tier, dozens of metallic and mirrored cutouts hang from spinning carousels, while still more turn and rotate on platforms. The cutouts are shaped like characters, buildings, motifs, and objects from the locality. 

Colourful lights inside the tree point towards the cutouts; so the metal shapes catch the light, glinting and reflecting it outwards. The moving shapes are projected into the surrounding space as shadows. Playful and interactive, the tree uses human energy to power a kinetic light show.

The Story Tree re-imagines and celebrates heritage through its people, communities, and cultures. The project is inspired by the wonder of candle carousels, musical boxes, mechanical toys and automata, and of course Christmas trees. It reimagines the stories told by these objects, and opens space for new tales and traditions, rooted in the local context. 

Every winter, visitors and residents will visit the iconic tree: a classic holiday symbol transformed with local significance and diverse stories. We imagine the work as a semi-permanent, seasonal installation. Installed for 3-4 months per year.