New dynamic temporary installation maps the City’s database of public trees in Palo Alto and promotes broader ecological awareness.

Arbor, a new installation commissioned by the City of Palo Alto, recently debuted at King Plaza adjacent to City Hall. The immersive sculptural installation is a data spatialization of the urban forest of Palo Alto. Arbor uses the database of over 45,000 public trees in the City’s Open Data Portal as the basis for a collective, three-dimensional map of one aspect of the city’s ecology. The site-specific temporary artwork, installed at King Plaza at 250 Hamilton Avenue, will remain on display through January 2022.

Arbor, made of 120 laser-cut, powder-coated steel ribs using 5 colors that subtly gradate along the circle, performs as a compass-like map, with each rib corresponding to a different “pie slice” of territory radiating outwards from King plaza. The trees are represented by bumps on the outer edge, so the zones with more trees result in ribs with more relief. The ribs are arranged in an open circular form, gradually changing in height, profile, and color to create a dynamic form that is different from each side. Arbor looks to historical examples of optical devices that operate radially, such as the zoetrope and the cyclorama, both of which use radial geometry to create dynamic spatial conditions. Individually, each rib represents the density of trees in its corresponding zone of the city. Collectively, the ribs coalesce into a singular yet dynamic form that becomes a spatial relief map of the city’s shared network of trees. For more info, see the project page.