Sit With Me & You’ll Understand

Donna Luo. 
Tutor: Anthony Hoete. 

Three small platforms are suspended in a Tawa tree, exposed to the surroundings, with barely an enclosing roof or walls. They serve as spaces to sit, observe, and share a meal with the birds of Urupukapuka Island, hoping to initiate an intimate interaction between visitors and birds. Food connects us, in this case, filling the space between humans and birds. 

The platforms are designed to support birdlife and plant growth, specifically the Kererū and Tui. After the extinction of Moa and Huia in Aotearoa, the natural dispersal of large seeds relies mainly on Kereru and Tui. The Tawa tree, a species that relies entirely on the Kererū, became the structure’s base. Tawa is a common host to many epiphytes(such as the Supplejack); tensile rope balustrades and planter boxes aid their initial germination before they become mature enough to climb up the tree and contribute to the biodiversity of the forest canopy.