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Theme story

Trees that keep on talking

“He lived through the French Revolution. It would be disrespectful to start sawing into him straight away.” Joachim Louis Wood Stories creates sculptures from majestic trees – ancient souls that have weathered it all: storm and sun, rain and drought, generations of people. They have witnessed it all without judgement. And when they fall, Joachim reads new lifelines in their cracks and scars. His sculptures are an ode to transience and a gentle reminder to keep both feet firmly on the ground. In the gardens of NOA, you can discover his work as it was intended: you walk amongst them, feeling their scale, the silence and the history. A visit to NOA thus becomes an experience that makes you look at time, nature and yourself in a different light.

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But first, let’s talk about that French Revolution. How on earth did you come by a tree like that?
Joachim: “By now, people know where to find me when a special tree needs to be felled. This one, a cedar from Paris dating back to 1760, was on the verge of falling. It had witnessed the French Revolution. That makes you humble and cautious. It lay in my studio for five years without me touching it. Every day I walked past it, letting the inspiration mature. That’s often how it goes. Only after a long time do I carefully set to work with the saw. As if with soft brushstrokes. I never intervene radically straight away. Cut by cut, the form comes to life.”

How do you find that form in your sculptures?
“I often let the tree itself guide me: a crack or a scar where lightning once struck. These elements once defined the tree’s character, and I respect that in the artwork too. On the other hand, my emotions also play a decisive role. What frustrates or inspires me, what has been gnawing at me for some time, suddenly finds visual expression in my work.”

Can we recognise those emotions in certain forms?
“Organic, flowing forms often recur. I feel that I must let things flow. Just as a tree has growth rings, we too, as human beings, constantly have new lines in our lives: letting go and starting afresh. You can see that in my formal language. For me, letting things flow also has to do with returning to the earth, being grounded. Perhaps even with our feet firmly on the ground.”

You’ve touched on something important there: nature as a mirror for our lives and happiness. Many seem to be losing that connection, but through your art you build a bridge between ancient nature traditions and our modern lives. Does that evoke something in people — a quiet reminder of who we once were?
“A tree is indeed a fine example of how we as humans can approach life, and perhaps become calmer or happier. When our circumstances become difficult, we run away. As humanity, we are also creating more and more escape routes. A tree does not; it adapts: it simply grows differently. We can learn from that enormous capacity for adaptation. There is also a beautiful lesson in their life cycle. Often they provide oxygen for hundreds of years, converting solar energy into the growth of wood. If they fall, that wood still nourishes the life cycle. I see my work as part of that cycle. My sculptures, too, are transient: they are not meant to last for centuries, but are allowed to display their beauty for a while. As an ode to life in all its circumstances, with all its knots and junctions.”

About NOA:
NOA outdoor living is an experience park for outdoor design in Kruisem. In the theme gardens, you can find inspiration to decorate your garden. These gardens combine architecture, landscape, and interior, and welcome architects, landscape architects, designers, and contractors as well as private prospects. In this inspiration park, you will find luxurious garden furniture and designs by more than 25 high-end partners, who are happy to advise you as you bring your dream garden to life. Moreover, the park is the perfect professional networking location; the conference rooms, covered patio, spacious showroom, and plaza of NOA outdoor living are the ideal setting for your conference, product presentation, or product launch.

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