The Tree Charter bell

The Tree Charter Bell is used as a focus for ceremonies around tree planting activities in connection with The Woodland Trust. Locke worked with John Taylor Bells in Loughborough to cast a large tower bell tuned to the frequency of The Original Bramley Apple Tree in Southwell. The bell resonates at 500HZ when the temperature is 21 degrees, when the temperature changes so too does the resonance of the bell. The bell has significance in terms of it being used to call people together and also as a warning sign. Using this idea as a trigger and as part of the growing body of research, Locke explores situations in view of socially engaged practice, bringing groups of people together in order to consider relationships to significant trees, nature, historic places and climate change. The aim is to explore how we feel in regard to our changing environments and how we communicate these feelings. Through this project the artist is asking important questions that are relevant now, for example: What are the possibilities for expressing how we feel about our changing climate? Can we send messages out in order to express our fears and is it possible to instigate action through artistic interventions?.
The first ceremony took place as part of the Woodland Trust's Tree Charter Day Festival. Tree saplings were planted in 6 small green spaces in diverse communities in Radford, near the city centre, as part of the Woodland Trust’s pledge to plant 50 million trees by 2025 to help tackle climate change. The Bell rang each time a tree was planted, drawing attention to the activity and triggering discussions about environmental change.