Heart of Oak 2

Heart of Oak is an installation for the Jardin Botanique, Bordeaux, France, that considers the significance of the Oak tree in British history; referencing, in particular, Church, State and People. It features in the exhibition Human Nature/Nature Humaine. Gospel Oaks and Royal Oaks are woven into the fabric of the English national story as symbols of power; Church and State. Another tree, however, holds significance as a symbol of resistance to that power, a Sycamore in Tolpuddle, Dorset. In 1834 six agricultural labourers met under a Sycamore tree on Tolpuddle Green. They signed an oath of solidarity to resist a cut in wages by the local landowner. Later arrested and tried, they were found guilty of administering an unlawful oath. The six Tolpuddle Martyrs, as they became known, were sentenced to seven years transportation to Australia. Mass protests followed which led directly to the creation of the British Trade Union movement. Whilst in prison, one of the six, George Loveless wrote:?“We raise the watchword, liberty. We will, we will, we will be free!