A new living art installation by UK-based artist duo Akroyd and Harvey was recently unveiled at Bloomberg Arcade, one of the top culinary and cultural destinations in London’s Square Mile.
On display from Wednesday until 7 September, the artwork comprises fifty-two oak trees grown from acorns collected from German artist Joseph Beuys’ monumental 1982 artwork, 7000 Oaks.
The work, entitled Beuys’ Acorns, aims to challenge the relationship between humans and ecological systems in our cities and highlight the need for urgent climate action.
Bloomberg Arcade provides a regular platform for cultural events within the culinary hub of the arcade.
The new commission bought to London by Bloomberg Philanthropies is part of Bloomberg Arcade’s dynamic ‘Arcade Live’ event series for the Summer months.
During the installation, the Arcade will host a number of events for the public, including topical masterclasses and ‘In Conversation’ events that respond to the themes of climate change, conservation and sustainability.
Originally collected as acorns by Ackroyd & Harvey in 2007, the saplings that make up Beuys’ Acorns have become a living research project on the cultural, biological and climate significance of trees.
Beuys, regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, considered 7000 Oaks to be his most important work and was considered an artistic and ecological intervention in a rapidly urbanising world.
As London faces a climate emergency, the installation at Bloomberg Arcade aims to act as a catalyst for conversation around ecology, conservation and the interdependence between humankind and nature.
