The Sycamore Gap tree is part of our collective memory. For some, it was woven into everyday life through regular walks and visits. For others, it marked an important moment, and for many more it was known only through images, films, and stories.

Within its tree rings, the Sycamore Gap tree holds its own memory, a physical record of time, weather, growth, and place. Working with internationally acclaimed sound artists, we will reveal the tree’s story by translating these rings into sound, allowing the tree itself to be heard.Resembling a series of spinning wooden records on a turntable, the resulting abstract soundscape becomes a unique auditory portrait of the tree and its life in the landscape.

Our project seeks to explore, share, and preserve this collective memory. By bringing together the memory held within the tree itself and the memories carried by people, the work reveals the vital but fragile connection between people and nature, and how deeply this connection shapes

The memory of the tree is also held by people. Working with communities along Hadrian’s Wall, we will co-create artworks inspired by sycamore seeds using paper made from pulp taken from the tree itself. During this making process, memories, and stories connected to the tree and landscape are shared, recorded as digital sound files and stored on speakers hidden within the seed forms.

These stories, in the forms of the rings and seeds, will be shared in a series of immersive, multi-sensory exhibitions across the country that tell the tale whilst inviting new voices to contribute. The project concludes with a permanent legacy, a sound sculpture near the Gap becomes a place of arrival and departure. Visitors gather to reflect and hear the voice of the tree and the people before continuing their journey into the landscape, to visit the gap and create new stories.