CREATION STORY
Helaine Blumenfeld’s arboreal artworks
Throughout her 50-year career, the American sculptor Helaine Blumenfeld, who works between her Cambridgeshire home and the Tuscan coast, has found inspiration in myths about the Tree of Life. In a year that sees her recognised on a global scale (Blumenfeld is contributing to the group exhibition at this summer’s Venice Biennale), she has chosen to revisit the theme with a series of bronze and marble sculptures depicting the sacred tree. These include a three-metre-high design installed at the Woolf Institute in Cambridge and five variations set to go on show at Ely Cathedral, all telling a story of hope and renewal in turbulent times. fh ‘Tree of Life’ is at Ely Cathedral (www.elycathedral.org) from 13 July to 28 October.