Helix Arts and George King Architects are truly proud to have been announced as the winners of the Sycamore Gap wood commission, following a national public vote and final decision by an expert judging panel.
The People’s Tree was chosen from six shortlisted proposals. It combines public participation, sound, architecture and storytelling to respond to the loss of the much‑loved Sycamore Gap tree, which was illegally felled from its look-out above Hadrian’s wall in Northumberland, in September 2023.
The proposal scored highest across the public vote and with the judges, ensuring unanimous confidence in the commission creating something meaningful for local and regional communities, as well as its ability to touch people nationwide.
Rather than centring on a single memorial, The People’s Tree aims to reimagine legacy as something shared and living, with a UK-wide participatory programme where people will be invited to record reflections on their own relationships with trees and nature – to Pause, Listen and Reconnect.
Alongside these sound and spoken word recordings, the artists will create a digital soundtrack by scanning the tree’s rings, transforming its history into sound. The final compilation of stories and audio will be presented through a series of exhibitions and workshops held to the north, south, east, and west of Sycamore Gap.
Sections of some of the seasoned wood will be used in various ways to co-create artworks with communities and local artists connecting to nature, landscapes and the tree.
The project will culminate in a sound sculpture, which will include a time capsule for the tree (including some of its wood and the living archive of stories and nature sounds), which will be located somewhere accessible along Hadrian’s Wall, as chosen by stakeholders and communities..
Cheryl Gavin, Director Helix Arts said: “To be chosen by both the public and the judging panel feels phenomenal. This project comes from a belief that the legacy of the Sycamore Gap tree lives not only in its wood, but in the relationships, memories and moments of connection it sparked.
“Connecting and collaborating with communities along Hadrian’s Wall and across the UK is key, we want to create places where people can pause, listen and feel part of something shared—where loss becomes a starting point for reconnection and care.
“Acknowledging the impact of the loss of the tree nationally – we also wanted to find a way to resonate beyond the north-east, and we’ll do this through the digital swapping of stories to understand one another’s experience with the Gap and connection to nature.”
George King from George King Architects said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been selected for the Sycamore Gap commission. It is a real honour to be entrusted with responding to a place that means so much to so many people.
“We are especially excited to be working in collaboration with Helix Arts, and to have the opportunity to engage with communities across the UK, developing the project together and shaping it through shared stories, memories, and experiences.
The tree as it was can never be replaced, but what we can do is create a place for reflection and connections. Drawing on our experience in exhibitions and installations, we aim to shape a thoughtful installation, to create a lasting legacy for future generations, that honours its meaning and gives people a place to reconnect.”
Commenting on behalf of the judging panel, Annie Reilly, Public Engagement Director at the National Trust and Chair of the Judging Panel, said: “At the heart of the project is a dialogue between the tree and people.
“The public response to this commission has been extraordinary, reflecting just how deeply the Sycamore Gap tree mattered to people, everywhere. The People’s Tree proposal stood out for its generosity, sensitivity and ambition.
“It offers not a single answer to loss, but an invitation – to listen, to reflect, and to reconnect with nature and with one another. The panel was excited by the way this project places people and communities at its heart while creating a legacy that will be felt locally and nationally for years to come.”
The project will now move into a development phase, with Helix Arts and George King Architects working closely with the National Trust, local partners and communities along Hadrian’s Wall.
The completed work will form part of a major nationwide programme responding to the Sycamore Gap tree and is expected to be realised by September 2027.
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