Patrick Dougherty's Nest Houses Made Of Living Trees (PHOTOS)

From Inhabitat:

While it may look like the work of an enormous bird, the human-sized nests below were actually made by artist Patrick Dougherty. The experienced branchbender weaves the human-sized nest houses out of living, growing trees. His works come in all shapes and sizes from houses, cocoons, pagodas, huts, giant water pitchers and even people. Click through the gallery to see our favorites.

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No, this isn't the work of some gigantic bird. The living art you see before you was actually done by man - more specifically, artist and branchbender extraordinaire Patrick Dougherty. Crafting human-sized nest houses made by actually weaving growing trees into the shapes of houses, cocoons, pagodas, huts, giant water pitchers and even people, Dougherty has traveled the world with his truly extraordinary sculptures. Click through our photo gallery for images of some of his coolest work.

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No, this isn't the work of some gigantic bird. The living art you see before you was actually done by man - more specifically, artist and branchbender extraordinaire Patrick Dougherty. Crafting human-sized nest houses made by actually weaving growing trees into the shapes of houses, cocoons, pagodas, huts, giant water pitchers and even people, Dougherty has traveled the world with his truly extraordinary sculptures. Click through our photo gallery for images of some of his coolest work.

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Total comments: 90 | Post a Comment

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This Nest

Rank #2  |  Average: 4

Nests Are For Birds, Not People Unbelievable!

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Comments

[not going2take it]

09:59 AM on 03/03/2011

One of the more fascinating things that I have seen in a while.
VERY COOL - artistically and photographically.

[FTracy3]

03:23 PM on 02/18/2011

Do you have to keep changing the newspaper carpeting in these things?

[SalesmanForLife]

12:38 AM on 02/17/2011

1st pic....in description... "actually done"....."actually weaving".... What is it with the national epidemic of using actually to bring truth to each declaration of fact. Actually addicts are sounding dumber by the day when they just throw it out there. I am not done with this!

[no exit]

09:46 AM on 02/17/2011

But you have to admit, it's not quite as bad as, "you know."

[klbrz]

11:00 AM on 02/17/2011

Actually, you're right! ;-)

[SalesmanForLife]

08:00 PM on 02/17/2011

fanned because I feel so alone;)

[m1jones]

12:36 AM on 02/17/2011

I'm sure that these required a lot of effort and planning but I can't get over the feeling I get of how closely they are related to dust bunnies and hair balls.

Also, they don't appear to be made of living plants but of the dead branches of once living plants, which gives them a very haunting and temporary look. They are closely related to the art at Burning Man - celebrated, rightly so, for two weeks and then, equally appropriately, burned.

[unruly1]

11:32 PM on 02/16/2011

What! No fireplace?

[klbrz]

11:05 PM on 02/16/2011

Maybe it's just me, but when you make a thing about how these are all done from living trees, I'd like to know what kind of trees, how the ones indoors can still be living (see no pots or anything), how long it takes to do, are the trees still going to be able to live, leaf, produce pollen, fruit, etc.

However, they are really cool looking. Be fun to see in person.

[no exit]

09:48 AM on 02/17/2011

Those are the same questions I have...and I'll probably forget to google it.

[klbrz]

11:02 AM on 02/17/2011

I didn't even think to google it. Geez.

[La Elle]

10:36 PM on 02/16/2011

Living art, wow. Very interesting. I wonder what kind of trees he uses. Also, I can tell some pictures were taken in the fall, but where are the leaves the other times? If you keep cutting off the all the leaves of tree the tree will eventually die.

[DustyMills]

11:36 PM on 02/16/2011

I have seen live willow sapplings used to make living fences and trellis'.....I think only the first pic was a living sculpture.....the others were all from cut branches. The branches must be soaked first to make them pliable and then held in place until dry.....this is how the beautiful "bentwood" willow outdoor furniture is made.....I want one!

[MagicalPossibilities]

09:48 PM on 02/16/2011

I love #1 and #5. The rest, meh...

[Red45]

08:51 PM on 02/16/2011

Wonderful innovative work.

[lburnham]

06:54 PM on 02/16/2011

Huffpost is wrong. Dougherty doesn't work with living trees.

[mairs]

07:02 PM on 02/16/2011

I was wondering about that. For that density of branches how could you manage the root balls, and there are no pictures of sprouted structures.

[santiago sherwood]

07:57 PM on 02/16/2011

though they got the facts wrong, the houses are brilliant

[Ronnie Farrell]

09:06 PM on 02/16/2011

I have one of his creations a block from my house in palo alto. He planted about 35 living trees then when they had taken root (about 2 weeks later) he came back and built the structure around them

[jcarterla]

06:25 PM on 02/16/2011

Just beware of the Morlocks.

[Marturia]

05:55 PM on 02/16/2011

Very clever. I've seen some trees similar to this in Colorado Springs.

[Ernie Evil]

05:38 PM on 02/16/2011

Cool. Reminds me of the Shire, where the Hobbits for LOTR lives.

[HowthCastle]

05:37 PM on 02/16/2011

Magnificent! Congratulations, Mr. Dougherty!

[WYHKTai-Tai]

05:20 PM on 02/16/2011

These are amazing! I love them. but still something a little creepy about them too.