Take trees that are old and weathered, style them like bonsai and put them in giant bonsai pots. Put people sized clay Figures in there too. That's the idea.

Bonsai are sculpted over many years. Some are 100s of years of. The pot must be chosen to reflect the beauty of the tree. The leaves must be clipped to keep the tree looking the proper scale. Even with a giant bonsai this is no small task.
-- futurebird, Apr 25 2004

Pen Jing http://filebox.vt.e...jelinsk/history.htm
I think the chinese Fully-baked this idea centuries before Bonzai [PainOCommonSense, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

Axel Erlandson's Tree Circus http://www.arborsmith.com/treecircus.html
Looks like giant bonsai to me (and then some) [bristolz, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

"fiuguers"??
-- Klaatu, Apr 25 2004


// That's the idea // Me thinks you're trying to halfbake trees in pots.
-- jonthegeologist, Apr 25 2004


I have seen some excellent sculpting of olive trees to look much like what I think [futurebird] is thinking.

I have "potted" full size citrus trees by disassembling and reassembling oak barrel halves around them.

I suppose a good mason could fabricate a construction that looks like a clay pot, bonsaibly suitable for each sculpted tree.

I guess this is doable...
-- half, Apr 25 2004


I like your sense of humor, [half].
-- normzone, Apr 25 2004


Um... isn't the point of a bonsai to be small? Creating a giant bonsai tree would be like creating a miniature jumbo cookie.
-- gastronaut, Apr 25 2004


Small is not the only point, it is also meant to look old and refelct the beauty of nature like a sculpture... a big tree can do this too-- this is a good idea I SWEAR!
-- futurebird, Apr 25 2004


sounds like a cool idea, suspect the japanese will have baked it
-- engineer1, Apr 26 2004


// Creating a giant bonsai tree would be like creating a miniature jumbo cookie // Or a jumbo miniature cookie
-- spiritualized, Apr 26 2004


Way baked. The japanese trim various types of tree to resemble clouds, hills etc. The more ancient and gnarled the better, too.
-- squeak, Apr 26 2004


But those trees are not in a giant bonsai pot-- the pot is part of the art that is bonsai-- it is often made just for the tree.
-- futurebird, Apr 28 2004


These "people sized clay figures"; should they not be scaled up by the same ratio aswell?
-- stupop, Apr 28 2004


Pen Jing existed before Bonsai and it is big delicatly pruned trees in big pots (as well as small trees in small pots). in fact it means pot scenery

The Japanese took it along with their writing, Noodles, Martial Arts, ceramics and a whole load of other technology from China only in the 13th Century. The Chinese had been at it since the Tang Dynasty in about 600 AD. This is as baked as the Compass or Seismograph, Matches etc.

I think it is time we fish bone this idea as it is about 1400 years late.
-- PainOCommonSense, Apr 29 2004


if POCS is correct then yes this is so baked as to be mouldy and alive.
-- engineer1, Apr 29 2004


I am quietly confident that this predates the croissant.
-- PainOCommonSense, Apr 29 2004


So the premise of this idea is: size matters. Sorry, I don't think that thought carries over to trees.
-- booleanfool, Apr 29 2004



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