Druid Spiral
The Art
Set beneath a striking maple tree along the Highlands Art & Tree Trail, Druid Spiral is a land art installation inspired by ancient ritual, nature spirituality, and humanity’s long relationship with forests. Created from willow boughs gathered in Canal Flats, British Columbia, the spiral form wraps gently through the landscape, inviting visitors to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with the living world around them.
For artist Dermot Wilson, the spiral is one of humanity’s oldest and most universal symbols — representing cycles, energy, renewal, and closer harmony with nature. The installation was inspired by Wilson’s imagined vision of dancers and ceremonial figures gathering around revered trees thousands of years ago. Druid Spiral becomes a contemporary expression of that same reverence: an offering to the forest and to the solitary maple tree that anchors the piece.
Wilson felt drawn to this particular tree standing largely on its own within the Escarpment forest. The work evolved as a response to the environmental pressures facing forests today and a desire to help inspire regeneration, protection, and deeper ecological awareness.
Organic materials are central to the installation. Alongside willow, Wilson experimented with natural pigments including beet juice, whose rich colours spread through gauze elements woven into the sculpture. Exposure to weather, moisture, fungi, and the changing seasons allows the piece to continuously evolve over time — much like the forest surrounding it.
For artist Dermot Wilson, the spiral is one of humanity’s oldest and most universal symbols — representing cycles, energy, renewal, and closer harmony with nature. The installation was inspired by Wilson’s imagined vision of dancers and ceremonial figures gathering around revered trees thousands of years ago. Druid Spiral becomes a contemporary expression of that same reverence: an offering to the forest and to the solitary maple tree that anchors the piece.
Wilson felt drawn to this particular tree standing largely on its own within the Escarpment forest. The work evolved as a response to the environmental pressures facing forests today and a desire to help inspire regeneration, protection, and deeper ecological awareness.
Organic materials are central to the installation. Alongside willow, Wilson experimented with natural pigments including beet juice, whose rich colours spread through gauze elements woven into the sculpture. Exposure to weather, moisture, fungi, and the changing seasons allows the piece to continuously evolve over time — much like the forest surrounding it.
