The project, the Detritus Orb, is a departure for me from my tree-climbing work. It is loosely related but it was the goal of COPA to push us to make a piece that goes beyond our normal practices. It is unfortunate that the event was an Idea Competition and at no point was there a chance that these projects were expected to be realized. It was just a public display of how COPA would function in the city and bring public art to reality. The jury process is a closed door process and by making it open to the public, they were forced to make the event a demonstration rather than a real juried process for an actual public art selection.

That all being said, I was honored and flattered to be selected by the committee to participate. It was a good practice in conceptualization and presentation. Thanks to all that were behind the scenes, who helped, supported, participated, and attended the event.

The Bernheim Nest is up!

I started the residency at the beginning of October 2011. I knew I wanted to work with the idea of human nests and played with a few ideas before settling on a hornet-inspired design. I set the limitation of using only found materials and tools I already owned.

I wanted the material of the nest to be similar to paper, like a hornet’s nest, and decided on corrugated cardboard boxes. I found most of what I needed (after a few weeks a much searching) at Dine restaurant store off Preston in Louisville.

I began to cut and stack the cardboard with a loose plan in my head of how it would all work out. About 2 months later I had my completed form with bed, window, lights and shelves in the inside. The shape conforms to the shape of my back when I sit up.

Upon my return from the holiday break, I decided to use aluminum cans to cover the exterior of the nest to make it waterproof. I spent the next 2 months cutting and cleaning approximately 2,000 soda and beer cans and tucking and folding them into the cardboard layers like shingles.

The aluminum cans proved slippery and not very secure so my final touch was to use clear packing tape to adhere the entire outer shell together. It was ready for install.

I coordinated with the horticulture crew at Bernheim and selected a Sawtooth Oak just off the main loop that stands next to the Big Prairie. On Monday February 27th, with the assistance of Robert Rollins and Greenhaven Treecare, the nest was installed.

The Bernheim operations crew helped lift the nest and carry out of the Lakeside Studio and onto a trailer where is was place just below the Oak tree. Then Robert, Patti, and Korry from Greenhaven used their crane to strap and hoist the nest into the branches.

They had to trim some dead limbs and make a lot of adjustments to make the nest level. The process took all day. We even had to bring the nest back down to the ground and rework the straps so the nest would be suspended level. Finally the nest was in place and secured with ropes so I could crawl up inside and secure the nest to the tree form the inside.

Even Robert got up in the tree at the end to detach the crane from the nest. I owe Robert and Patti a huge thanks for taking on the challenge of putting the nest safely in the tree!

When we were done and collecting the tools, Jacob Trader a Greenhaven employee, crawled into the nest and tested it out. He’s a much bigger guy than me. After the crew from Greenhaven had left and I was looking at the nest I noticed it was sagging a little in the middle. I’m not blaming anyone…but it actually looks more secure and is settling nicely in its new home.

That afternoon I climbed up the limbs and crawled into the nest to add the door and some other final touches. I also took some pictures from the views out the various windows and peek-holes.

Now all that is left is for me to spend the night in the nest and to make sure it functions well and stays dry and critter-free.

Thanks so much to Mark Wourms, Martha Winans Slaughter and all the members and staff at Bernheim who make it possible for artists to create and visitors to enjoy art in nature. It’s been an incredible 5 months!

Please come out to hear about my experiences and see my latest artwork at the Education Building at Bernheim.

Invite friends and family and I look forward to seeing you there.

If you didn’t get a chance to see my talk, please watch my Flickr slideshow to see the images. Click “Show Info” at the top right of the page to view the captions for each image. Thanks

You can also follow my progress and tree climbs on Twitter @dailyclimb
Or view my portfolio here

04.16.10

El Palo Alto. The redwood that the city is named for. It is a massive tree with two distinctive trunks. It was the landmark used by a large expedition of 63 men and 200 horses on their way from San Diego to Monterey in 1769.

I would like to tell you that I climbed that one. But I didn’t. I climbed another, single-trunked redwood just meters away. Ben stood nearby to watch as I ascended almost 100 feet into the very top of the tree. The branches angled downward and became thinner and bendier as I got near the top. I did my best to stay secure to take the pictures.

Then, once plenty of shots were taken, and the view thoroughly taken in, I climbed down before my arms got too fatigued. My highest climb to date!

04.17.10

A fun day. A drive through more redwoods to a beach with two dogs and one of Ben’s co-workers.

Max

Olive

Then back to Palo Alto to see De La Soul on the Stanford campus for a free (and substance free) concert. In which, we brought mini Mickey’s malt liquor bottles and did our best to conceal till we were tattled on and bolted from the scene.

On our walk out we stopped at the perfect tree for a group climb. Strangely, and without planning, there were a lot of hands in this shot.

Then we went out that night to eat and drink and be stupid and at some point this happened:

04.18.10

Took a long walk that night and found an empty parking lot with a nice row of pine trees along the edge. It was peaceful and quiet and I remember being very aware of every little sound.

04.19.10

Back to Stanford for a nice midday walk. I ambled off the promenade looking for an Eucalyptus tree to climb. One of the 3 tallest trees in the world, next to Redwoods and Giant Sequoias. They were a transplant from Australia to California back in the early 20th Century. They grew fast and tall and were planted as wind breaks in the blustery valleys and hills. They can grow up to 10 feet a year.

I finally found one and took special care to brush all the hanging loose bark away so I wouldn’t slip. This Eucalyptus was rare since it offered me a path up high. Most trees I surveyed had massive trunks but no limbs for many feet.

After climbing down, I walked further through the arboretum to a small patch of rare dessert plants. some cacti had a beautiful flowers on the tops.

Then from there found another massive Eucalyptus to climb up just about 15 feet to write some postcards. Practiced some parkour on an outdoor workout area, then back to Ben’s apartment. Stanford has a very extensive and beautiful campus.

04.20.10

On my last full day in California I went on a long walk with Ben and his girlfriend. Ben joined me in this sprawling tree. The rest of the walk was spent talking about my art career and ways in which I may expand into other markets and increase my marketing practice. It’s nice to have such supportive and helpful friends.

04.21.10

Rain. I packed up my bags and walked to the train station. I picked a tree just past the footpath under the tracks. As I walked up the leafy hill to the tree I fell from the weight of my pack right as someone was walking by. Ugh! The shame.

I threw my pack into the tree and then climbed in after it. I spent my time in the tree reflecting on my whole trip and looking ahead to my life back in Louisville. Then I jumped back down, got on my train onto San Jose Airport, transferred in Las Vegas and then was back home.

What would the future bring? Well, an end to the streak…but more to come on that soon.

After the Redwoods, climbing a little tree in the city just doesn’t seem to have the same grandeur. And now, looking back over a year ago with only my memory to serve as the narrator of this journey, much has been lost. Where I didn’t take pictures I can only guess as to where I climbed. I believe I climbed in front of the Art Museum on the Stanford Campus on the 7th. And I climbed a tree some where near Ben’s old apartment in Palo Alto on the 9th. I believe those are the only holes I need to fill. I was in a strange mind on some days, but as the beautiful California days rolled on I picked up my camera more and more and felt my spirits rise as I searched further for challenging trees.

04.08.10

Here in the Mission District of San Francisco, I climbed on a sunny evening after a long walk around with Rachel.

04.10.10

Ben and I were invited to a pre-game party in the city, then walked to the Giants game. We had the highest seats but thankfully no bloody noses. Without my contacts I would have seen nothing but the people around me. As it was, I didn’t pay much attention anyway. Baseball isn’t my game…but the experience was a good one.

Hopping off the train in Palo Alto, Ben watched as I climbed a tree near the entrance of the long promenade of Stanford’s main campus.

04.11.10

A block or two down University Ave. in Palo Alto. The silhouettes of palm trees around the grand lit house is so foreign to me.

04.12.10

A night walk with Ben and Macy. They talked quietly as I took care of my daily arboreal practice. Florescent lights from the convenient store just next to the tree were too bright but made for easier shots from the high branches.

04.13.10

Ben and I drove through the East Bay and we stopped at this park. This collection of posts is some art piece. No info to tell me what it was about though.

I think this was the day we met Ben’s grandfather, uncle and cousin for a sailboat trip around the Bay. Then to a fancy private club for a glass of whiskey before our nice Italian dinner. If it wasn’t this day, no matter, it was around then. And we all got driven around in a Rolls Royce. Surreal. Plus I was wearing Ben’s sport coat and if anyone knows Ben, he’s MUCH bigger than me.

I also climbed a tree in Palo Alto before we left. It feels good to me to have days where my tree climb wasn’t the most exciting thing I did.

04.14.10

A walk from Ben’s to a nearby playground in Palo Alto with his roommates and a fellow high school teacher of his. The playground had a large concrete slide that was 8 feet wide. It wasn’t very slippery so there were little torn up pieces of cardboard all strewed about that you had to use as a sliding aide. Should have taken a picture of that. Beautiful clear night, however.

04.15.10

Tax Day. I remember driving to the Tesla dealership to see the fancy all-electric roadsters. They were pretty sweet. Along the way we passed a hoard of old white people carrying Tea Party signs and shouting at cars. Blecht.

Later that evening Ben, Macy and I went to a talk on the future of education at Stanford. We walked around the campus and saw some amazing plants in their arboretum. But Ben and I were more interested in trying to get some cool shots of him jumping for his band photos.

And, of course, I climbed a tree that night. Somewhere a few blocks from Ben’s. It was high up, I transferred into a smaller tree on the way down. I remember feeling spry.

This Trip 2010 catch up will soon conclude. I apologize for this long hiatus and very belated report. My relationship with blogging and this tree-climbing project has been a long and ever-changing one. The end is nigh.

Please attend my gallery talk and reception on Thursday April 14th from 6-9pm at Zephyr Gallery.

Please come to the talk to hear more stories about the shoots and how the series was created.

HAUNT

Gallery Talk
Thursday April 14th
6-9pm

Zephyr Gallery
610 E. Market St.
Louisville, KY 40202
502-585-5646

Gallery hours: Wed-Sat 11-6

C.10
03/11/2011
Cherokee Park
4 x 6 in.
dye-sublimation on board

C.12
03/17/2011
Cherokee Park
6 x 9 in.
dye-sublimation on board

Top Image
C.4
03/17/2011
Cherokee Park
4 x 6 in.
dye-sublimation on board

HAUNT

Todd C. Smith &
Michelle Kellond Amos
Exhibition open April 1st – May 14th 2011

Opening Reception
First Friday Trolley Hop
April 1st, 6 to 9pm

Gallery Talk
Thursday April 14th
6 to 9pm

The latest offering from tree-climber artist Todd Smith is part photography, part performance documentation.

Todd climbs into a tree, secures his cocoon on a branch and crawls inside with a light.
In collaboration with Natalie Biesel, the long-exposure photos were composed from secluded Louisville locations, including
Cherokee Park.

Trying to imagine a world where human existence is dependent upon climbing trees,
Smith creates scenarios of a fantastical human-like creature in a pupal stage of development shining
with life from the limbs.

Zephyr Gallery
610 E Market St
Louisville, KY 40202
502-585-5646

Gallery open
Wed – Sat 11am- 6pm

Cocoon Series

C.6
03/17/2011
Cherokee Park
4 x 6 in.
dye-sublimation on board

C.7
02/18/2011
Seneca Park
4 x 6 in.
dye-sublimation on board

C.8
02/28/2011
Cherokee Park
4 x 6 in.
dye-sublimation on board

Top Image
C.5
03/02/2011
Cherokee Park
4 x 6 in.
dye-sublimation on board

04.05.10
Traveling with dogs requires frequent and welcome stops. Route 101 stretches all along the west coast. During the summer months the Oregon stretch has the highest congestion of travelers over all other roads in the country. (According to Rand McNally.) But for this cool and cloudy April day the traffic was almost non-existent. We let the dogs play on the rocks at a scenic rest stop.

I was just starting to run around on the rocks and throw Abbey the frisbee when the rain started to fall. We all jumped back into the VW Golf and headed on South down 101.

On another rainy stop I took a pick of the ocean with my cell phone. Living so far from any ocean in Louisville, KY, it is wonderful and calming to be next to one. Crisp, clean, cool air and an endless view. It’s actually quite similar to the feeling I get when I reach the very top of a very tall tree and look out onto the vast landscape.

We stopped in Brookings, OR for some pizza then continued on. We had brought gear for camping and had originally planned to drive to Crater Lake but the temperature there was 15F with snow and roads were being closed. So we stuck to the coast and decided to just get a hotel. We found a cheap place that welcomed pets just south of the Oregon/California border in Crescent City. Once settled, we took the dogs for their last walk of the day and I climbed a small tree near the parking lot. Sorry, no pictures.

04.06.10
Today was the big day. Route 101 is also known as the Redwood Highway. Once we got going that morning the trees that line the road got bigger the higher we climbed into the hills. I sat in the passenger seat with my mouth open constantly looking right and left at the massive trees. I really wish we had been in a convertible.

After a while we stopped in a visitors center to get a map and decide where to hike. We asked this old woman who worked there where the biggest trees were and she said they are all big. (Thanks for the help!) We drove a little while longer and stopped at another visitors center and decided to hike around there. The trees were definitely BIG!

But this was not my climb.

Unfortunately the trails didn’t allow dogs and we had to leave them in the car. So Rachel took her camera to record the experience for them.

We walked on and off the trail and I went most of the way with my head cranked way back. Incredible!

I wasn’t sure exactly how I was going to climb one of these, but I was determined to figure it out. I was either looking for a young redwood that I could shimmy up to the lowest branch, or find two big ones close enough to each other to wedge myself in between and spider-crawl up. I saw a possibility and gave my camera to Rachel so that I could be in the photos. With trees this big, I wanted my body as a reference for relative size.

After scrambling up through some small undergrowth to the wedge between the trees, I was pretty much done. It was too high and unstable to spider-crawl up anything. And to what? The next closest limb looked 100 feet above me. I sat a while while Rachel got some shots then I scrambled back down and we walked around some more.

I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to move here. I felt I had found my place in the world. But like my tree climbs, I eventually climb down. I had to leave. But I knew I’d be back. Good bye redwoods.

I sat quiet in the car on the rest of the ride out of the Redwood Forest looking all around me like before. The trees began to thin and we detoured over to Route 1 which runs right along the coast. The day had turned clear and sunny and the ocean was smooth. It was a beautiful and fun drive…till the sun went down. Then the curving road started to make us both sick and irritated. We didn’t get to Palo Alto till almost midnight. It was a long but very memorable day.

Please stay tuned for the final leg of Trip 2010. San Francisco, Stanford, THE Palo Alto, and other awesome trees and adventures!

The train rolled into the Portland, Oregon station on a cool and cloudy late March morning. The 55 hour trip was over and I was greeted by my friend Rachel. We had some brunch and then headed back to the house where I used to live. I got to see my old dog, Abbey, and Rachel’s new edition to the family, Steve.

The west coast portion of my trip was starting. A few days in Portland and a road trip down the coast through the Redwood Forest to San Francisco. All soon to come. But first…Portland.

03.31.10

Right across the street from Rachel’s house is Lents Park. A nice stretch of green with basketball & tennis courts, soccer and baseball fields, a playground, community garden, dog off-leash area and plenty of climbable trees (many of which I had climbed in the past). I chose, in the late hour, to climb a tree I had climbed in November of 2007 when I had returned to Portland to retrieve my belongings and permanently move back to Kentucky. The hairy growth on the bark of the tree was a stark reminder of how moist and lush this part of the country can be.

04.01.10
On my first full day in town, Rachel & the dogs and I all took a quick ride to the Columbia River Gorge National Park to hike the Triple Falls Trail. Something I never found time to do when I lived there.

Multnomah Falls was visible just off the road near the welcoming center for the park. We stopped in the spotty rain and took a few pictures and visited the gift shop. Then we headed back out and found our trail head and started our hike. Everything was wet and the most brilliant green. It was incredible to have traveled across the entire country and seen only bare and brown and snow, then to be enveloped by the mossy green growth that just drips from every limb.

The hike was beautiful and Steve & Abbey definitely had a great time.

We turned the corner around a ridge and across a small valley saw Triple Falls.

On the hike back out Rachel informed me of the entire plot of all the Twilight books. Thanks, Rachel, for making it so that I never have the desire to read the books or see any more of the films.

I chose not to climb a tree at the park since all the trees seemed so delicately draped in the green moss. I did not want to disturb the scene nor did I want to slip and fall. So, once we were back in town I climbed a tree just after a yummy pizza dinner. The climb, though challenging and fun, did not yield much in the way of photos due to the lack of light.

04.02.10
Ever since I left Portland I have missed my rope. I put a nice fiber rope in a tree next to Rachel’s house and used to climb it for strength training. So once I had the chance I scurried up the rope and into the branches and took in the old familiar views.

04.03.10
29 years old. To celebrate we tortured ourselves by biking in freezing rain all the way downtown to the convention center for the Spring Beer & Wine Fest. I bought a cup and some tokens and got to tasting. I had some excellent beers and some mediocre ones. I ate cheap food and bought a ridiculous pair of purple sunglasses for $5. On the way out they had a breathalizer test you could take for a dollar. I blew a .24 which had to be a mistake. A .40 is the lethal dose for half the population and a .30 will put you in the hospital. And I wasn’t even that drunk. For most states a .08 is the limit for driving. And I was totally fine biking back to Rachel’s house. At least the beer helped keep my hands warm since I didn’t have gloves.

That night we had dinner and cake. Then I walked back out to Lents Park and looked high at the tree tops for a tree to call to me. At the far side, one very tall tree with white blossoms beckoned to me.

I made the difficult run off the trunk to grab the first limb then slowly made my way near the top.

I took some pictures then put my camera away to just enjoy the moment. I remember thinking how thankful I was for this dailyclimb project and how this climb meant that I had now completed 3 years of climbing every day.

04.04.10
On my last day in Portland I had a meal with Rachel’s family. We packed for the road trip down the coast and I climbed a tree. I unfortunately didn’t take any pictures. Rachel and I took Abbey & Steve to Lents Park to play fetch. After wearing the dogs out I walked over to a tall cedar tree. This is also a tree I had climbed before in November of 2007. As I often do, I reclimbed the tree to compare the experiences. The memories flooded back as I pulled myself through the limbs. A lot has changed in the last 3 years and I have much to thank for this daily practice.

Oregon Coast & my first trip to the Redwoods coming soon!