Reflecting the streetlights at night, turning into sparkly stars. That’s what the Lens Trees do. These trees are not your average foliage. They are a sculpture by Thom Puckey. It stands in Amsterdam’s University Quarter.
Erected in 1989, the Lens Trees have been a visual staple for decades. The Lens Trees sculpture interacts with its surroundings. Cyclists see its impressive stature as they cycle down Vendelstraat. Pedestrians stroll under its branches.
Thom Puckey’s playful fresnel lenses are the focal point of the Lens Trees artwork. The artist characterizes the lenses. They have become yellowed and opaque over time. The patinated bronze trunks have lost their original luster.
The Lens Trees is located at an intersection of bike and pedestrian traffic. This location inspired Puckey. He created a sculpture that includes it in traffic routes. At the time of its commission lenses were prominent in Puckey’s gallery work. They naturally made their way into the sculpture.
The Fresnel lenses reference Spinoza’s lens-grinding workshop in the area. They allude to telescopes absorbing and playfully turning the surroundings upside down. Puckey decided to use figurative tree-like forms as means to hold the lenses in place. This was inspired by artworks with dancing figures such as Les Trois Danseuses by Picasso.
The Lens Trees has gained its own meaning through interacting with its surroundings. During neighborhood parties the tree branches become part of the decoration. Streamers often cover them. The Lens Trees functions and interacts with its surroundings without artistic pretense.
The main concern surrounding the sculpture is the need for increased interaction between the sculpture and its surroundings. The interactive function of the Lens Trees hinges on the lenses. They require conservation treatment.
The user groups show a need for interaction between the sculpture and its various surrounding user-groups. This leads to the question how could the need for conservation be placed on the agenda of the municipality and integrated into the renovation of the University Quarter?
To raise public awareness for the restoration of the Lens Trees an online survey was distributed to residents of the University Quarter. This gauged their general feelings toward the artwork and the need for its restoration. Potential ways to encourage public engagement with the artwork were conceived. In-person talks and QR-code-activated online resources were also ideas about the artwork and the conservation or restoration process.
Hashtags were developed for use on social media. This publicly ramped up support for the restoration of the artwork in a manner that is noticeable to the Municipality of Amsterdam. Residents and students were encouraged via the distributed online survey to post images of the artwork on social media with the hashtags #lenstrees, #preservepublicart, and #gemeenteamsterdam.
Images were printed out and posted near the Lens Trees. These compared the original condition of the artwork with the current state of the artwork to invoke an emotional response from passers-by. A QR code links to a short survey assessing the public response to the potential conservation treatment of the Lens Trees.
The Stadscuratorium Amsterdam posts every Sunday on Instagram. It asks for an active position from the viewer. The round lenses work as reversed magnifying glasses. The environment is displayed upside down and from seemingly far away.
The Lens Trees is currently undergoing conservation. The conservation work on the lenses is underway. Placemaking students advocated for the conservation of the artwork and initiated contact with various stakeholders including the artist the Gemeente and Kunstwacht.