ulf mejergren contorts forestscapes into fantastical playgrounds and labyrinths using AI

ulf mejergren contorts forestscapes into fantastical playgrounds and labyrinths using AI

ulf mejergren visualizes surreal tree installations

 

From his Pine Bark Hut to his concert space inside a tree trunk, Ulf Mejergren has long explored the powers of nature, experimenting with the centuries old practice of manipulating trees and vegetation to create immersive installations. Now delving into the digital realm, he presents a series of AI-generated artworks that transform trees into a variety of surreal structures for the upcoming ‘Architecture After AI’ exhibition at the Mebane Gallery in Texas.

 

For the Tree Manipulation Series, with the help of Midjourney the architect intricately weaves roots and branches of birch and pine groves into giant playgrounds, whimsical lookout towers, and dense forests within forests.

ulf mejergen contorts forestscapes into fantastical playgrounds and labyrinths using AI
horizontal branches covered with moss amid a group of birch trees | all images by Ulf Mejergren

 

 

ai-generated playgrounds in the forests and tundras

 

Using AI design tools, Ulf Mejergren’s presents a series of trees transformed into interactive art installations in their landscapes. Large in scale and surreal in presence, they are climbable and habitable structures, most of which take on functions such as lookouts or shelters in the depths of the forest.

 

The architect twists apple trees into gazebos that are situated in a garden environment, morphs together wilder and cruder compositions in desolate forests, and even fuses branches to create playgrounds in barren ice-capped tundras. Some scenes depict branches that are growing together with other trees, while others rearrange whole stems, therefore they all have different time frames, from a year up to fifty years or more, depending on the growing procedures. ‘Perhaps those projects that move away from a garden environment are the ones that are the most interesting since the contrast is much greater against the untamed surroundings compared to an already domesticated garden,’ he observes. 

ulf mejergen contorts forestscapes into fantastical playgrounds and labyrinths using AI
birch trees grown shaped like a large cylindrical shelter

 

 

Ulf Mejergren continues: ‘This buffet of projects could hardly have been visualized if it wasn’t for AI. With this new tool, a multitude of ideas and options can be visualized and evaluated before making the final steps to turn these into reality since guiding trees takes a long time and a lot of dedication. Therefore it is crucial for the motivation to carry out a project like this to have a couple of good target images.’

ulf mejergen contorts forestscapes into fantastical playgrounds and labyrinths using AI
a grove of birch trees transformed into a playground by fusing branches together

ulf mejergen contorts forestscapes into fantastical playgrounds and labyrinths using AI
a densely knitted lookout tower with shifted levels — almost like a vertical labyrinth

ulf mejergen contorts forestscapes into fantastical playgrounds and labyrinths using AI
a semi uprooted grove of birch trees entered through a hole in the root system — a forest within a forest

manipulation-series-ulf-mejergren-designboom-1

ulf mejergen contorts forestscapes into fantastical playgrounds and labyrinths using AI
an apple tree guided into a gazebo with branches forming platforms, ladders, and even furniture

ulf mejergen contorts forestscapes into fantastical playgrounds and labyrinths using AI
a wind shelter in the forest made from spruce and willow

 

 

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project info:

 

name: Tree Manipulation Series
designer: Ulf Mejergren

exhibition at: Mebane Gallery, Austin, Texas

dates: January 30, 2023 — February 27, 2023

 

 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: ravail khan | designboom

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