An artist named Simon O’Rourke brought new meaning to the phrase “palm tree” when he did something extraordinary to what was the tallest tree in Wales. His sculpture is titled “Giant Hand of Vyrnwy” and it measures 50 feet tall and transforms right before your eyes. The sculpture’s base is a standard tree, but when you look upward, the tree sheds its bark and becomes the smooth skin of the human arm. Then, it ends with the gentle creases that you will find if you look down at your own hands and into your fingers and palms. The transition between rough and smooth is almost folkloric in quality.
In some ways, it looks like a giant is trying to make his way to the surface and onto Earth. the Giant Hand of Vyrnwy was carved into a tree that is formerly the tallest tree in Wales. As a matter of fact, O’Rourke got the idea to create the sculpture when he heard that the tree had been damaged by a storm. The Natural Resource Wales was going to have to cut the tree down and decided to commission an artist to carve it. “I was really excited at the prospect of carving this giant and creating a memorial for such a well-known landmark,” O’Rourke explains. “I began researching the area and found the area of woodland that contained the tree was known as the Giants of Vyrnwy.”
He added that he was inspired by the legends of the Giants of Vyrnwy, and said, “This got me thinking and I decided on a giant hand, symbolizing the giants, and the tree’s last attempt to reach for the sky!” It’s not easy to craft an impressive piece like this and it required the right tools, along with a strong work ethic. For one thing, O’Rourke needed a scaffold so that he could safely work. The terrain in the area was so difficult that it took him two days just to erect the scaffold.
Simon O’Rourke
“Six days of intense work followed using chainsaws and grinders. I needed to add two pieces for the thumb and little finger, as the tree wasn’t wide enough to form the whole hand,” he explained.
Simon O’Rourke
The artist described the entire experience as “humbling,” and it reminded him just how small we humans are compared to other living organisms on our planet. Below, you can watch a time-lapse of a wood sculpture.