It was great to have Brian Tolle speak at the Henry last week. The audience was very interested in the process he went through to bring Stronghold to the University of Washington campus. He explained how the project was inspired by the history of the region, particularly by old photos that documented the logging of old growth forests. He showed quite a few old slides, including this one, from “Children’s Day” at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909, featuring possibly the largest piece of lumber ever made :

Tolle also explained how he originally planned on using cast concrete for the piece, but over time it became clear that lumber would be a better material. It seems that many people question this decision (and the issue did come up during the Q&A) but he pointed out that the lumber would be used either way. He stated that the fact that it is a work of art makes it different from a deck or a hot tub made of wood. I think that the image of Stronghold is certainly more potent when I consider the 10,000 linear feet of cedar that went into it.

It was fun to see some of Tolle’s other work, including a performance called Skid Rows, which happened at the Queens Botanical Garden in 2005. This involved a modified pick-up truck that was equipped to plough through the lawn while depositing seeds into the ground. This project arose after Tolle had contemplated the erosion damage caused by the recreational use of ATVs, and he decided that he should turn that kind of beer-drinking joyriding into something positive (like planting a garden!)