Trees that Grow into Furniture [PICS]

People get pretty excited when they come across a shrub that looks like an animal or an object, so you can only imagine the reaction when they encounter something created by the ingenious practice of tree shaping.

Tree Shapers Peter Cook and Becky Northey of south east Queensland loved their trees but weren’t satisfied with growing pretty shapes, they wanted something better, and in 1996 Pooktre was born.

Pooktre is the particular brand of tree shaping that Peter and Becky have pioneered. The process involves months and often years of painstakingly working the trees in to the desired shapes, resulting in the amazing pieces of art you see here.

Many of the works function as usable pieces of furniture; the first design to come to life back in 1996 was a coffee table. Four branches support a piece of tree trunk and four other branches, purposefully worked and cajoled into place, firmly hold a circular glass table top in place. It looks entirely unique, and it would be impossible to duplicate perfectly because it’s been grown, not built.

The next tree shaping project was a mirror stand, and while the coffee table may be impressive, the mirror stand is nothing short of amazing. Spindly little roots support a massive mirror frame which appears to curl back on itself like something out of Dr Seuss’ wild imagination.

Since those first two designs took shape there have been many different additions to the collection. There are several very impressive looking chairs which can easily support a person, an amazing garden table with a lush green canopy for an umbrella, and there is even a small army of surreal tree-men with leafy branches shooting from their hands and heads.

Besides their own artwork, tree shapers Peter and Becky do commission pieces, and their site even mentions the possibility of a book in the future that will explain the techniques they use to do their tree shaping, which would let anyone use the Pooktre techniques to grow their own furniture.

Pixar Lamp Making Trouble in the Forest

It looks as if Pixar’s animated angelpoise lamp is moonlighting, and been caught in the act by Norwegian photographer Rune Guneriussen. His surreal works of inanimate objects taking on new life include, lamps in outside spaces seemingly living as a crowd, telephones walking into water and chocolate bears marching as to war. These light images offer a new perspective on a normally mundane everyday object, and are really quite arresting in their own way.
The lamps follow along a snowy path, like lost sheep trying to find their way home, following each other without question. Some shades are turned to the ground as if checking for clues on where to go, and if they’re on the right track.
The largest lamp is bent over other smaller lamps like a doting father telling his brood tales before bedtime.
Here there are crowd of lamps gathered in a field, who knows? Maybe they’re having their own mini secret rave in the woods. Just think, the light show would be brilliant.
A hoard of lamps hang from a tree, smaller than the ones on the ground. Like butterflies
waiting to emerge from their previous state they wait for their turn to grow, fall to the ground, watch for a while, and then walk off into the distance to find their destiny.