Of the Oak

This spring and summer, visitors to Kew Gardens can experience Of the Oak, a one-of-a-kind immersive art installation that celebrates the oak tree as a vital hub of biodiversity. 

The ground-breaking artwork is the creation of world-renowned experiential artist collective Marshmallow Laser Feast, who have had global success with their previous work exhibiting at the likes of the Saatchi Gallery, The Barbican, Cannes Film Festival and the ACMI.  

The newly commissioned artwork located within Kew’s landscape is massive in scale at 6 metres. It focuses on the inner workings of the Lucombe oak at Kew Gardens, creating a ‘digital double’ of the oak by using extensive real-world data captured in collaboration with Kew’s scientists and horticulturists. 

Peer beneath the bark of this living giant and journey from dawn to dusk through the shifting seasons to uncover the hidden rhythms of the tree’s life. Interact with the work to see the pulse of energy flowing through each leaf, branch and root. With a rich sensory soundscape, Of the Oak invites you to experience the resilience of this extraordinary tree like never before.

Experience our guided meditations on the Of the Oak portal to synchronise your breath with the rhythm of the trees. These meditations offer a chance to reflect on the trees’ deep-rooted presence and the unseen networks that have sustained life around it throughout history.

As part of the experience too, you’ll find out more about the future of trees and the important work that Kew is doing to protect them.