Tachigi-Bori sculpture

Had a lovely trip round Wakehurst today, as part of the gardening group I belong to, and as one of the members is also a volunteer at Wakehurst, we heard about some of the unusual things that have been happening there.
A Japanese sculptor, Masa Susuki, was resident artist there for about 6 weeks and created this wonderful sculpture of a Sika deer. Evidently, Tachigi-Bori is the traditional Japanese practice of carving sculpture in a living tree and there is a recognition that over time, the sculpture will probably disappear as the tree changes. The damage to this tree goes back to the great storm of 1987, and it was easy to see how the tree will, in time, heal itself over the sculpture. But until it does, it's a wonderful glimpse of the spirit a skilled artist sees within - and then recreates on - a living tree.