Tree of life utah salt flats1/2/2024 ![]() ![]() A walk, the crunch of the salt and I was so taken with the desert and then it didn't take me many minutes to think something must be done here," Momen recalls. "August,1981 and I didn't know anything about the desert. He remembers his original reaction to terrain he says he didn't know existed. I have been almost all over the world, never have seen anything like that because when you come at the right time, it is so beautiful." It is the best time to sit and enjoy and relax. "In the early morning, you can see the sunrise, and by the evening, you see the sunset. "You sit there … and you don't have any interruption of traffic, buildings, anything, just plain desert. Momen wants to give the area new life and has now designed a visitors center with an overlook, cafe, souvenir shop, restrooms and parking. To protect the work from vandals, a metal fence surrounds it. Momen gave his tree to the state but there was never a pull-off or exit ramp along the westbound side of I-80, 95 miles west of Salt Lake. And the sculpture had to withstand high desert winds. They crafted giant spheres - 225-tons of cement in all - that were eventually suspended 80 feet in the air with little support. ![]() Contractor Don Ryman and his six sons took on the project. His design included rocks and minerals from Utah's desert, glued onto giant cement spheres. "It is going to be an object of thinking," he said in a 1986 interview. ![]() He designed a tree, signifying life in a place seemingly void of life. Momen became fascinated with what he calls the magnificent desert landscape driving to and from California 25 years ago. The 87-foot tall "tree" remains a mysterious statement standing on the edge of the Bonneville Salt Flats. Some find the man-made tree fascinating, others have used it for target practice over the years, but the world-famous artist who fell in love with Utah's desert 30 years ago, wants to make his artwork more accessible and has begun meeting with state officials to make that happen. Swedish artist Karl Momen, who created it, now has plans for a visitors center at the towering sculpture along I-80. SALT LAKE CITY - Since 1986, the "Tree of Utah" has stood as a lone sculpture in the western desert. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |