Giant willow Christmas tree among Chichester's Christmas Tree Stroll delights

Slindon-based artists Mark and Rebecca Ford (Two Circles Design) are among the artists contributing to Chichester BID’s Christmas Tree Stroll.

Transcript

00:00Good afternoon, my name is Phil Hewitt, Greenparks Editor at Sussex Newspapers, lovely to speak

00:06again to Mark and Rebecca Ford. Now Mark and Rebecca, you are contributing something very

00:11special to Chichester's Christmas festivities this year. After the Christmas tree stroll,

00:17what is it you are doing and where?

00:20Well, we are making, we are making in Priory Park, just outside the Guild Hall, a six metre

00:26Christmas tree that you can walk through and sit inside.

00:30Yes.

00:31And making out of willow. And Rebecca, what's the significance of willow to you as a material?

00:37Why is that so appealing?

00:39Well, it's something we've worked in willow for, I have over 20 years, Mark for 30. And

00:47it's just such a, it's such a beautiful material in the range of colours and in actually what

00:55you can produce from weaving in willow, whether it be a small basket or a giant sculpture,

01:02it is just such a wonderful material. And you don't need anything else, the willow,

01:07you don't need any plastic or wire or string. You can use the willow to actually create

01:13a whole piece with just using itself.

01:16That sounds lovely. And Mark, part of the point for you is that you can sit inside this

01:20tree. Why is sitting inside your work important? Why is that so important?

01:27You're outside, but you're also enclosed. There's a sense of comfy security from being

01:34inside sculpture rather than just looking at it. And it will be decorated with lights

01:39as well. So as it starts to get to the darker times, so you can come in, come and just explore

01:47the space.

01:48That was a great contribution to the Chichester Christmas celebrations. Lovely to speak to

01:53you again. Thank you.

01:54Thank you, Bill.