Culture Art & Media Artist Weaves Luminous Shelters & Sculptures Out of Willow By Kimberley Mok Writer McGill University Cornell University Kimberley Mok is a former architect who covered architecture and the arts for Treehugger starting in 2007. our editorial process Twitter Twitter Kimberley Mok Updated February 13, 2021 ©. Tom Hare Share Twitter Pinterest Email Culture History Travel Sustainable Fashion Art & Media Holidays Community Art made in the quiet womb of nature can have an enchanting effect. Outdoor sculptures, particularly those made with natural materials like woven willow, are especially fascinating because of their pliant character allows them to be made into fantastical forms that might be impossible otherwise. Using flexible greenwood, British artist Tom Hare creates large-scale works that mimic natural forms and provide shelter. © Tom Hare © Tom Hare "Willow is the perfect example of a sustainable material, which can be woven into forms with such spontaneity," says Hare as he describes his process: The whole process of producing willow sculpture is very grounding. The connection with nature, through coppicing and transferring observations into design, can be a humbling experience, and a physical one too.The willow has its own character with evocative qualities. Through time an understanding of this develops, which together with a bundle of patience, are all woven into the final creation. © Tom Hare © Tom Hare © Tom Hare Perched in a cherry tree, this luminous, bird-like nest was one of Hare's recent commissions, erected at a private home in the UK. © Tom Hare © Tom Hare And, let's not forget the fungi. Hare's giant mushroom installation, seen here at the Kew Gardens, is whimsical and larger than life (almost like a fungal movie set). © Tom Hare © Tom Hare © Tom Hare Sinuous and imaginative, Hare's works are yet another example of how versatile woven materials can be, be it for art or even for habitation. Check out more over at Tom Hare's blog and website.