EMMA COLE
Sculptor
Dryad
Dryad incorporates British trees, fungi, moss and lichens into the human form, symbolising an interdependance between humanity and nature.
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Dryad represents native woodland and hopes to generate interest in woodland conservation.
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She was sculpted in clay before beying cast in Jesmonite, painted and adorned with scupted fungi and dried moss.
Dryads originate from Greek mythology. They are female nymphs who protect the tree or woodland that they inhabit. The Hamadryad is physically connected to their tree and dies with the tree. Chopping down a tree protected by a dryad could result in punishment by the gods. To Emma they represent a respect for nature and a need for balance between our use of the forests and their own need to grow.
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Woodland has many benefits, including storing carbon, releasing oxygen, helping flood control as well as preserving native wildlife and biodiversity. Currently woodland cover is 12% of the UK, half of which is plantations. Semi-natural ancient woodland, natural woodland that has been established since the 1600s, is just 1.2%.
Ancient woodland is a host to many specialised ecosystems hosting endangered species. "Dryad" has been inspired by projects such as Heartwood Forest, a new arboretum of over 60 native tree species, and joining up patches of native bluebell woodland, making the biggest continuous new native forest in England, and Kew Gardens, holding over 50,000 living plants, who aim to document and research plant and fungal life, with the aim of documentation, understanding and finding solutions to global issues.
Through her research, Emma developed an interest in fungi, which have recently been applied in a variety of projects such as constructing buildings and furniture, an alternative to plastic packaging and to grow clothes and leather alternatives. A fungus has even been discovered which decomposes plastic.
She hopes to share her view of the natural world as both beautiful and fascinating and to promote the value of conserving natural habitats in the UK and worldwide, both for the benefits we can gain from their preservation and for the phenomenon of their existence.
The baby symbolises the next generation, who must tackle many environmental challenges and the knowledge that we make choices, not only for ourselves, but also for all those who come after us. The dryad watches the baby wondering what humanity will do next.
