You are invited to The TreeHouse Gallery Preview
From 4pm- 8pm hosting a feast of musical talents and artistic explorations at the newly built TreeHouse Gallery in Regents Park!
The ceremony marked with the raising of Harriet Wakeling's Big Top!

Music performed by
* Ewan Bleach (clarinet/sax) * Philip Dale (bassoon) * Jonah Brody (koto) * Ed Sustr (guitar) * Madge Baa (Vox) & piano accompaniment * Alamin (indian flute) * George Sokol (piano) * Gareth Wilkins (floogaloo) *

Dance Performance Correographed by Franni Donnohoe & The TreeTop Dancers

The TreeHouse Gallery is open to involvement throughout - Sunday will be an introduction to the project and its approach towards the growth of the space. We hope you will join us and be inspired to participate and create what is to come....
If you would like to volunteer at the park to take a workshop, build, create, invigilate please email hello@thetreehousegallery.org

Coming Events
Weave the Bud with her Willowship, Miss Early
Wednesday 22nd July - Friday 24th July, 10am - 5pm
Arcadian: The Flaneur of Regents Park, Benjamin Deakin
Friday 24th - Sunday 26th July 

Readings & Talks from the Forgiveness Project
Friday 24th July, 6pm

Raw Chocolate workshop with Poppy Smadja
Saturday 25th July, 2pm

Flower Clock Workshop with The Flower Clock Team
Saturday 25th - Sunday 26th July

http://www.thetreehousegallery.org/home/ 

The Dates
Open date: Middle of July, specific date & time tbc

Close date: End of August, specific date & time tbc

Gallery opening times: 10am – 4pm weekdays

10am – 8pm Fridays and Saturdays and Sundays
The Project

The TreeHouse Gallery is a collaborative project that will take root in London’s Regent’s Park throughout July and August, re-imagining one of the great outdoor public spaces of the city. The site, situated on the banks of the Boating Lake, will form an array of tree-top structures that will act as a catalyst to ignite the collective imagination, encouraging adults and children alike to explore a variety of creative responses to nature. Both the aesthetics that inform The TreeHouse Gallery’s construction and the community it gives voice to will grow from the surroundings of the parkland and the city’s material and social fabric. Over the course of this two-month period the site will be host to a diverse programme of stimulating exhibitions, performances, workshops, spoken word events and debates, all of which explore the myriad possibilities found through local and creative solutions and forms of reflexive individual engagement with natural cycles. The project will give both artists and participants a free and innovative platform in central London to actively engage with art, while in turn drawing a diverse mix of people and ideas to the park. In tune with the projects ethos and the surrounding environment, The TreeHouse Gallery will be built predominantly from naturally sourced materials and reclaimed city waste. All timber and building materials are being donated to the project and are guaranteed lightweight, un-pressure treated and free from chemicals that corrupt the soil. The gallery will be fuelled by onsite renewable energy and transport will be kept to a minimum, where possible taking the form of bicycle and other alternative modes of transportation. Furthermore marketing materials and waste produced on site are being reused through specific art workshops and installations that reinvent the discarded. Also importantly this large-scale project will be entirely self-funded, self-sufficient and participation is free and open to all!


The Organisers & Participants
Leading The TreeHouse Gallery’s concept and construction are Claudia Moseley and Steph Smith, who’s pursuits have included the likes of light installations and experiments that investigate the intricacies of the natural world; Labyrinths and explorations of dis-used space; DA! and The Temporary School of Thought; tree protesting and woodland protection and the curating of exhibitions and events. Inspired by their own on-going dialogue with nature and experiences of innovation, the project is unique in it’s self-sufficiency and methodology. The duo are collaborating with a diverse mix of emerging and known artists, crafts people, architects, builders, creative activists, permaculture specialists and a variety of arts charities. Independent organisations participating include HighLife TreeHouses, specialists in tree house design; Monkey-Do, tree-climbing and rigging experts; BASH, nature sensitive events organisors; Arcadiam Associates, structural engineers; Bosky Trees, arboricultural and ecology experts; Ob:Lab, social networking through suspended structures and the Area10 project space. Reflecting this diversity, The TreeHouse Gallery’s construction utilises a broad spectrum of approaches, all of which aim to work in harmony with the natural habitat of the park. These range from grass roots city dwelling initiatives, willow weaving, carpentry, protest site techniques, contemporary construction practices, tree netting and creative methods of re-using; a reflection of the various alternative narratives that inform our cultural resources and practices. 

The Galleries
The main gallery spaces, the concept of which was actualised by architects Henry Adams and Oliver Ogilvie, will consist of three weird and wonderful structural growths, nestled amidst a triangular formation of trees. The spaces will be linked by a combination of bridges, walkways and organically inspired creations that will be dotted around the area. Activities will be spread throughout both the galleries and the surrounding site, in order to make as many as possible accessible for participants who are auditorily, visually and physically impaired. In the centre of this activity will be The Budding Hub Gallery constructed from donated end-of-season hazel and willow; it’s shape will be reminiscent of a germinating bulb. Following a bridge will lead you to the Box Galleries, a cluster of cube shaped spaces made from found and natural materials. The galleries will be piled on top of one another and the audience can explore their interior through a network of staircases. Both the Budding Hub and the lower Box Galleries will also be accessible to disabled visitors by an elevating art piece. Leading off these structures will be a netted walkway and a more playful area, strung with an assortment of accessible hanging pods, the function and aesthetic of these spaces shall evolve as the project progresses. Away from the bustle, The Spherical Reading Gallery will be a quieter and more contemplative area, accessible via a spiral staircase. As the name suggests it will be a circular space that houses hundreds of bark bound books, so on slotting the book back into the shelf, it becomes a part of the inverted trunk. Specially curated for The TreeHouse Gallery, the books will reference the exploration & perception of alternate worlds, ways of living, the imagination, innovations in design, philosophies, mythology and ways of doing. The three main treehouses and surrounding landscape will be brought to life by an array of fantastical and practical activities and events, including flower clocks and floating gardens; a walk in camera obscura; weaving and basketry classes; live painting and shadow puppetry; a solar powered tea station; hours of topical debates and interventions; a growing performative dining and medicine garden; a delicious tree-flavoured ice cream parlour; recycled puppetry and shadow play; raw chocolate workshops; tree-top dancing and live instrument installations. Artists and organisations including the likes of Space Studios, Temporary School of Thought, Bicycology, The House of Fairytales, Crash and The School of Everything will punctuate the site with evolving and spontaneous curatorial programmes. 

The Social Content
While aesthetically The TreeHouse Gallery will be an art work in itself, developing over the course of the two months alongside the natural cycles of the park, the structure will also become a metaphor for the collective learning that the organisers hope to cultivate bellow its branches. The project will embrace socially inclusive art practices and a wide reaching approach to community engagement; highlighting social and cultural diversity and varied access needs. The gallery is collaborating with a range of well-known charities such as D-Art (Shape), St Mungos and School Friend Etc. The project’s organisers will also endeavour to draw a broad cross-section of London’s residents to the park, including those that often wouldn’t be given the opportunity to interact and collaborate with one another. In nurturing this collaboration, The TreeHouse Gallery hopes that participants will share their own knowledge and skills, in order to create new streams of social dialogue and learning. In addition the general public are encouraged to participate throughout the process, as anyone can be involved during the current stages of planning, the build in June and the running of the space throughout July and August. Through this approach, the organisers aim to demonstrate the possibilities of inspiring the community to connect, learn from and respect natural systems within an evolving collective environment. The TreeHouse Gallery’s approach in this sense mobilises and makes visible the potential of creative resources found in urban communities such as London, using the natural landscape as a foundation for this visibility. Furthermore the project will rethink mainstream and media driven environmental views and actively disengage itself from the commercial undertones often associated with large art events.

The Site
In accordance with the groups concerns and the over-riding aim of the project to respect the natural patterns of the park, the site which is situated on the bank of the Boating Lake, was carefully chosen for being an enclosed space that would allow The TreeHouse Gallery to function without disrupting the surrounding habitat. The plane trees that will be supporting the main gallery spaces have been specifically selected through the recommendations of The Royal Park’s Tree Officer for their strength and durability, furthermore all structures will be approved by RoSPA. Arboricultural and ecological reports have been and will be carried out throughout the duration and Arboriculturist Ben Rose will be consulting the collective on all aspects of the construction. All structures will be supported by suspensions from the branches and/or struts around the ground, which will also allow for natural movement. The trees will in no way be penetrated, with the addition of specialist cushioning materials to ensure no damage is done to or traces left on the trees. Furthermore, in accordance with the Senior Wildlife Officer, the area is one that will have minimal wildlife activity during this time of year, to ensure that The TreeHouse Gallery does not affect any of the birds and animals that live within the park’s grounds. At the end of the projects life span, only some of the natural structures will remain. Non of the materials used will leave residue in the soil, many of which will then carry on their journey and be donated to other like minded building and art projects. Throughout the two months artist initiatives will be put in place to re-use any waste generated by the participants and visitors, such as inventive installations and regenerative workshops, for example paper making from the flyers distributed. In addition the ‘in-tree’ team of stewards and volunteers will be teaching and advising the visitors about productive and creative uses of waste and organic materials.

So Come and Participate! Bring Ideas! Donate Time or Materials! Play! Learn! Exchange Skills and Knowledge! REThink! Imagine! Help the TreeHouse to grow!


For information about how to get involved email thetreehousegallery@googlemail.com 

Or visit the website for news and project updates www.thetreehousegallery.org 

Elderflower Champagne and Nettle & Ginger Ale homemade by The Art is In The Tea & Wojtek Bereza

Raw Chocolate provided by Poppy Smadja (Chocolat Cru)

Tree Flavoured Ice Cream provided by Cristina Fraser

The TreeHouse Gallery is open to involvement throughout - Sunday will be an introduction to the project and its approach towards the growth of the space. We hope you will join us and be inspired to participate and create what is to come....
If you would like to volunteer at the park to take a workshop, build, create, invigilate please email hello@thetreehousegallery.org


Coming Events
Weave the Bud with her Willowship, Miss Early
Wednesday 22nd July - Friday 24th July, 10am - 5pm
Arcadian: The Flaneur of Regents Park, Benjamin Deakin
Friday 24th - Sunday 26th July 

Readings & Talks from the Forgiveness Project
Friday 24th July, 6pm


Raw Chocolate workshop with Poppy Smadja
Saturday 25th July, 2pm


Flower Clock Workshop with The Flower Clock Team
Saturday 25th - Sunday 26th July

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