Unlike ordinary trees, which branch out hierarchically upward from a central trunk, the banyan drops multiple trunks from branches that extend horizontally. A heterarchy.
The project began life through encounters with banyans in Singapore and southern China. And in December 2025 I filmed the five-acre Great Banyan Tree in Kolkata with a view to developing virtual and physical structures from a 3D digital model. This process is also producing drawings, sculptures, digital works and potentially large interactive structures.
I am extremely grateful for the support of Nicky Donald (Goldsmiths Computing), wood sculptor Tim Norris and design collective Yes Make, as well as the staff at the AJC Bose Indian Botanic Garden.
Theory
Source photos, sketches and models
Model 5 work in progress
Phoenix Fry 