“aka Metaphor, the Tree of Utah”
An abstract artistic sculpture called Metaphor: The Tree of Utah stands of the edge of I-80 on the barren Bonneville Salt Flats west of Salt Lake City. Swedish artist Karl Momen created the 87-foot high tree between 1982-1986. He financed the project himself to bring bold color and beauty to the stark, flat, salty landscape. The sculpture is made of 225 tons of cement, almost 2,000 ceramic tiles and five tons of welding rod, and tons of minerals and rocks native to Utah. Also called the "Tree of Life," the sculpture is located on the north side of I-80 about 95 miles west of Salt Lake City (25 miles east of Wendover). The location is interesting because the harsh environment here hindered many travelers in pioneer times. Members of the ill-fated Donner Party were tragically delayed in this area before their awful demise in the Sierra Nevada mountains. During WWII, the crew of the Enola Gay practiced bombing runs over the Great Salt Lake Desert before proceeding to Hiroshima to end the war. After completing his work Momen returned to Sweden, donating the sculpture to the state of Utah. Art Critic Katherine Metcalf used these words to sum up the project: "...Like Kandinsky in the 1920s, so Momen in the 1980s combines his love of color, circles, and cosmic space in a personal hymn to the universe; and like Kandinsky, he is very 'romantic' and musical. The inscription on the trunk of the tree is Schiller's Ode to Joy, as sung in the choral climax of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony."
Need to see it west bound, but it's fun
It is farther east than navigation directs. It is also most visible from I-80 west. As we were going east, we got a quick look, but couldn't get a photo.
Fun surprise roadside! Unfortunately it appears one of the spheres has fallen and broken in two ... Hopefully someone cares enough to fix it!
We stopped for a photo op with the kids. Walking on the salt was an interesting experience.
IT IS ILLEGAL TO STOP ON HIghway here THOUGH...sign says No stopping, emergency vehicles only...we took our chances....
Unfortunately, we didn't stop the car for this one. I didn't really know what to expect, and I wished we had stopped just as we were driving by. This is such a unique structure. Not exactly beautiful, but an interesting sight to behold. Next time we're on I-80!
We stopped to see this even though it says emergency stopping only. There’s a fence around the structure but the gate was open. There is no broken sphere as someone commented. It an intentional part of the art. Three concrete sphere pieces are on the ground surrounding the structure. It’s much larger than you think it is. Very impressive.
Out of no where the tree pops up. One ball did fall down and broke on ground.
The "break" is part of the art. It's been there from the beginning.
cool to see from the car
Something to look forward to as you hit this ping and boring stretch! Wish someone would fix the one ball that fell :-(
Says no stopping but there is a little pull off area for safety.
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The Tree of Utah
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