Of the Oak: Marshmallow Laser Feast bring captivating new digital artwork to Kew this summer

This summer, experiential artist collective Marshmallow Laser Feast will unveil a new installation at Kew Gardens, inspired by one of Kew’s most magnificent trees. Opening to the public on Saturday 3 May, Of the Oak marks Kew’s first-ever outdoor digital art commission, fusing of-the-moment scientific research alongside Marshmallow Laser Feast’s signature innovation. This world-premiere installation will take visitors on a multisensory journey, using extensive real-world data to untangle the invisible web of water, oxygen and carbon at work within the Lucombe oak, one of the oldest trees at Kew Gardens. Visitors will explore a deep connection to the majestic tree's story and resilience, as they peer through its unique characteristics and learn about its vital role in the ecosystem.

Of the Oak is a 12-minute interactive video installation which depicts the transformation of Kew’s Lucombe oak across four seasons. Standing as a colossal 6-metre-high LED portal in the heart of Kew Gardens, this immersive experience offers a unique visual and auditory journey into the hidden life within the oak’s form, allowing visitors to peer beneath the bark to ‘see’ inner workings and processes usually invisible to us, including the flow of water and nutrients. The installation will also illuminate the oak’s sequestration of carbon dioxide through the mycelial network, and the release of life-giving oxygen into the atmosphere, as well as highlighting the interconnected web of over 2,000 species which rely on the tree for sustenance and survival. 

This new commission draws on the wealth of Marshmallow Laser Feast’s internationally acclaimed artworks that look to illuminate hidden connections beyond our everyday perception and remind us of our inseparability from the natural world. Employing a wealth of creative disciplines that span design, digital media, performance, and sculpture, Marshmallow Laser Feast invites audiences of all ages to navigate new sensory perspectives.

A blend of nature and technology
To create this innovative new work, Marshmallow Laser Feast have collaborated closely with scientists and horticulturists at Kew Gardens, using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scanning to create a 3D model of the oak tree, as well as high-resolution photogrammetry and CT scanning to capture intricate details of branches and leaves. For the first time, Marshmallow Laser Feast will also use Ground Penetrating Radar to map the root system of the Lucombe oak, using real-world data to showcase the foundations of this remarkable tree. This technology is regularly used by horticulturists at Kew Gardens to effectively assess plant health and monitor Kew’s living collection, including over 11,000 trees. 

The Lucombe oak
The Lucombe oak is one of the oldest and most important trees at Kew Gardens. Originally planted on Syon Vista, it was uprooted and moved in 1845 by landscape designer William Nesfield because it didn’t fit in with the design of the view. Not only is it one of the oldest trees at Kew, but it’s also one of the oldest Lucombe oaks in existence - grown from a cutting of the original hybrid (Turkey oak x Cork oak) which spontaneously crossed at a nursery outside Exeter in 1762. Drawing inspiration from a tree which is over two centuries old, Of the Oak will explore the invisible magic at work within each leaf, branch and root of this astonishing tree. 

Elsewhere at Kew Gardens, visitors can explore the spectacle and resonance of trees with The Power of Trees exhibition in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, running from Saturday 12 April – Sunday 14 September. A new play treehouse will be unveiled during the summer, and visitors can also learn more about Kew’s remarkable tree collection through the Remarkable Trees trail and favourite attractions including the Treetop Walkway.

Paul Denton, Head of Visitor Programmes and Exhibitions, says: “Working with artist collective Marshmallow Laser Feast on this unique project, we have blended art, science, and horticultural ingenuity to create an extraordinary innovative interactive portrait of Kew’s remarkable Lucombe Oak. This collaboration, marking Kew’s first-ever outdoor digital commission, will invite all our visitors to reflect on the delicate connections between the trees which sustain us and the future which we are shaping together through a constantly shifting world.”

Ersin Han Ersin from Marshmallow Laser Feast added: “We aim to plant acorns in the human imagination. Informed by science and created in collaboration with researchers, the project blends art, ecology, and technology to reveal the oak not merely as a tree, but as a living nexus of connection and reciprocity. The artwork serves as a portal into the intricate and often unseen world pulsating within the oak’s magnificent structure, celebrating its ecological significance and the myriad forms of life it supports throughout its existence.”

At the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, we’re dedicated to harnessing the power of plants and fungi to end the extinction crisis and secure a future for all life on Earth. With Kew’s world-leading research, global partnerships and beloved gardens – home to the world’s most diverse collections of plants and fungi – we’re using our trusted voice to shape policy and practice worldwide. As a charity we rely on the critical support of our visitors, not only to sustain the gardens, but to protect global plant and fungal biodiversity for the benefit of our planet and humanity.

ENDS