Hello Wood has continued its tradition of building socially responsive Christmas trees in European cities though its latest addition, the Tree of Arts, built in front of Budapest’s largest concert hall, Müpa, also known as the Palace of Arts.
Based on the idea that the spirit of Christmas should live beyond the holiday season and continue to symbolize community-building and sustainability into the New Year, the 11-meter tall tree made from lightboxes will be recycled into display units for the inside of the cultural venue in 2017.
Lightboxes in the installation feature the names of performances that will be visiting Budapest in the coming year, including the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, John McLaughlin, and Cameron Carpenter.
In total, the tree will be lit by an 110-meter-long LED ribbon.
The four-story-high structure occupies 20 square meters and features three entrances—including a shorter one meant for children—so that visitors can view the tree from the inside.
Previous Hello Wood Christmas tree projects have been located in London, Manchester, Budapest, and Geneva, all around the ideas of charity, social awareness, community building, and sustainability.
Lead architects: Csaba Bányai, András Huszár
Hello Wood team: Péter Pozsár, Niki Lakatos, Dávid Ráday, Benjamin Szilágyi, Gergely Szőke
Commissioned by: Müpa Budapest
News via: Hello Wood.
