Clever Carving: Tree-Writing
Tree-writing in the Museum of Everyday Writing can mean either two things: writing on top of a tree to create a form of graffiti or carving into a tree to create words that may last longer than paint. A couple of the artifacts from this area of the exhibit were donated from the United Kingdom, showing that tree-writing is familiar world-wide. However, tree-writing does not have to be done a standing tree, but can also be done on fragments of wood or bark to additionally keep this memorabilia for longer than the tree may stand. Even if the piece is not taken from the tree, you will see through this portion of the exhibit that tree carving can last for decades without change.
Donated by Scott Newman from England, this tree is located near Whitegate, Cheshire, England, and is carved with names that can date as far back as World War II. Children would mark and inscribe into the tree to serve as current memories to them, before being evacuated from the South of England to the North due to bombings in the area. The tree was also used as a rope swing at one point. All right reserved to the original Instagram post by user: @scotty_does_know
The following artifact, saying "Southern Comfort," belongs to Kathy Willis, and is a piece of wood that is currently used as a piece of art. The sign was carved into a piece of driftwood and set aloft on the floor of a patio. The wood has begun to look older and washed out. The carving is lighter than the rest of the artifacts and faint; could be hard to read from far away.
Another artifact donated by Scott Newman includes tree bark engraved with the phrase, "FUCK OFF," and is located in the United Kingdom. The initial post was uploaded on March 2021 and all rights belong to Instagram user: @scotty_does_know.
This artifact, "K+V," was created by the boyfriend of an individual named Vanessa, who engraved their initials onto a tree in Georgie while avoiding Hurricane Irma in September of 2017.