‘If she is happy, I am happy,’ says Vietnamese artist Tia-Thuy Nguyen referring to Mother Earth and her creation of an intricate stainless-steel sculpture that encases a dead oak tree in the grounds of sculpture park and organic winery Château La Coste in Aix-en-Provence, which Irish hotelier and property magnate, Paddy McKillen began mapping out on purchasing the land back in 2002.
The Flower of Life work, a remarkable piece of ‘tree art’, comprising thousands of soldered stainless steel 5mm strips resembling bark, shimmering steel oak leaves and gemstone and crystal fruits and flowers, was assembled on site over two months. It is the first time Nguyen has worked with the material (one ton of it) and numerous practice branches were made with local artisans and welders in her studio in Ho Chi Minh City to explore the technique and construction methods.
