Totem Pole in Peckham Rye

[traveler2]

Hi. Does anyone know the history of the totem pole next

to Peckham Rye Park? Photo attached. Wondered if it was made locally or maybe imported from somewhere like Canada or maybe Alaska.

[usagi]

A man carved it in situ. Not sure who it was. He worked on it over a few weeks right there on the common!

[colville09]

The sculpture, carved from the trunk of the dead tree that stood there, was made by fab South London artist Morganico (http://www.morganico.com.I think it was made around 2014.

[DulwichFox]

Yes it would of been commissioned around 2014.

I remember the tree stump and was skeptical at the ?10,000 price tag (as I remember) to create the Totem Pole.

It was Boarded up for many Months whilst the Artist worked on the project.

I was actually impressed with the result after it was finished.

DulwichFox.

[hpsaucey]

Bit more on it and story here: https://londonist.com/london/history/why-is-there-a-totem-pole-on-peckham-rye

Went to the unveiling and chatted. It took longer than artist thought it would to carve. V impressive...

H

[creditwheredue]

It?s a Pokemon Gym.

[KidKruger]

yeah I was at opening too, good use of a dead tree.

[Sue]

KidKruger Wrote:

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> yeah I was at opening too, good use of a dead

> tree.

So was I, and spoke to the artist, but was a bit embarrassed as truth be told I don't like it much 😶

[traveler2]

Thanks all and the background is quite informative. So my theory of it being brought from some remote spot in Canada has been disproved. I like the real story better.

[Blah Blah]

The real story is way better. A dead tree stump was turned into an art piece that people can enjoy/ debate forever. Granted it won't be everyone's cup of tea, but anything is better than a dead tree stump that eventually gets removed for being just a dead tree stump. The only alternative was perhaps a new sapling in its place. Personally, I like the quirky totem pole ;)

[Lynne]

Not my cup of tea, to put it politely.

[Treehugger2]

I don't really like it artistically, but at the same time I think it's fab that it was made and that it's there. And in that sense I love it!

[nxjen]

I think it would look better without the wings on the top which only became part of the design when the sculptor learned that William Blake saw a vision of angels on Peckham Rye

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

I actually quite like it. It?s eye catching.

[wordsworth]

I like it too, dunno why people need to be so picky.

[Sue]

Treehugger2 Wrote:

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> I don't really like it artistically, but at the

> same time I think it's fab that it was made and

> that it's there. And in that sense I love it!

My feelings exactly.

[tallulah71]

Totally agree with Treehugger.

And being 'picky' is peoples' prerogative; not everyone has to love it :)

[Lynne]

I'd have preferred a new tree

[DulwichFox]

Lynne Wrote:

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> I'd have preferred a new tree

Ok if you have 60 - 100 years to wait to replace the original.

Foxy

[Lynne]

The new tree wouldn't just be for my immediate pleasure, though, would it?

[hpsaucey]

Sure you could suggest other places to plant some...

[johnie]

I remember the guy who did it expected to be finished in a couple of weeks, but it took the best part of a year, as it was riddled with nails from decades of posters being attached. Poor bloke spent more time resharpening his chisels than actually chiselling.

[ReclaimedBrickPaths]

I filmed & spoke to him while was he carving the trunk, he used a chainsaw as well as chisels. I still have the footage but have not edited it yet!

[spanglysteve]

Is there any truth that the wings were a last minute addition after they realised that the totem looks remarkably like something else when they were absent?

I think I read that on these forums at the time.

[ianr]

> I think I read that on these forums at the time.

https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,1179061,1288600#msg-1288600

See what he moved on to. https://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/8568

Much more on the web under morganico.