The Birch Tree Family
Live Performance/Site-Specific Installation
CAS Emerging Sculptors Development Award 2024
Sir Harold Hillier Gardens
The Birch Tree Family project explores themes of transformation and the profound bond between women, nature, and the environment, symbolised by the birch tree’s capacity for renewal. The performances, presented as living birch-tree sculptures, evoke a return to nature - combining whimsical joy with a reminder of our interconnectedness with the natural world. The work highlights the need for radical, sustainable change and encourages a deeper understanding of our relationship with the environment.
The Birch Tree Family
Film/Live Performance
CAS Emerging Sculptors Development Award 2024
Crafted specifically for the unique setting of Sir Harold Hillier Garden, this project explores the profound connection between women, nature, and the environment. Women, traditionally seen as primary caregivers, share a deep affinity with nature, symbolising growth, fertility, and femininity. The birch tree, a central symbol within the work, represents renewal and the cyclical rhythms of life, mirroring the vulnerability and transformative potential of both women and trees.
Through meticulously crafted birch-tree living sculptures, the artist traverses urban landscapes, parks, and gardens during performances. This journey symbolises a return to nature, a reconnection with ancestral roots, and a moment of harmony with the forest. Amidst the trees, the artist reunites with the Birch Tree Family, engaging in a quiet, poetic communion with the natural world.
These human-walking trees carry a whimsical charm, evoking childhood joy and laughter, yet they also function as camouflage, merging seamlessly into the woodland environment. This duality highlights the complex relationship between people and the landscape, underscoring both interdependence and fragility.
Whether situated in urban or natural settings, the work draws attention to the shared vulnerability of trees and humanity, serving as a reminder of the urgent need for care, protection, and environmental awareness.
The Birch Tree Family - comprising a site-specific installation, live performances, and film - was developed under the CAS Emerging Sculptors Development Award, with funding from Friends of the Garden and additional support from Roche Court Educational Trust and Sir Harold Hillier Gardens. The installation was presented as a site-specific exhibition at Sir Harold Hillier Garden from February to April 2024.
The Birch Tree Family
Installation/Live Performance
Middlesborough Art Week 2024
Unit 5 - 13 (former Poundland Store), Newton Mall, Cleveland Centre, Middlesborough
Performance Times: 11:30am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm
Location: Roaming throughout the town
Blending gentle humour with quiet poignancy, The Birch Tree Family brings to life the delicate relationship between humanity and the natural world. Whether encountered in an urban street or a green space, these living sculptures highlight the shared vulnerability of both trees and people.
Rooted in the symbolism of the birch tree, the performance explores themes of transformation, resilience, and the deep connection between women, nature, and the environment. The artist performs as a birch-tree living sculpture, embodying a return to nature and inviting audiences to reflect on their own connection with the environment.
This project calls for greater awareness of sustainability and encourages a more thoughtful, intimate understanding of our relationship with the natural world.
Box Hill, Nature Calling 2025
Perfromances, Installations, Workshops
Commissioned by Surrey Hill Arts
The Birch Tree Family project by Olana Light was presented at the launch of the ‘Dawn after Night, Spring after Winter’ trail at National Trust Box Hill. This trail by artists Daniel Locke and David Blandy was brought to life by performers including Still Shadey, Aaron Baksh and Tilly Woodward and was part of a national programme, Nature Calling.
Installations/Live Performances
Milton Keynes Midsummer Festival 2025
Olana Light’s Birch Tree Family is inspired by birch trees in folklore. This unique performance and installation explores renewal, resilience and transformation. Throughout the day, the birch trees will come to life as they mimic the natural movements of the trees, inviting audiences to interact and play with them as they move.
Faces of the Park: Portraits of Belonging
Victoria Park Portsmouth
Tunnel Artist Commission 2025
Portraits, Installation, Workshops
Faces of the Park is a celebration of the people and communities who have shaped and supported the Reviving Victoria Park project. Through a series of creative workshops led by artist Olana Light, participants crafted headpieces using natural materials - many gathered from the park itself - to wear in portraits that reflect their identity and connection to this cherished green space.
We worked with Trash Arts Productions, Solent Original Walks, Wellbeing Walk volunteers, Green House users, and local businesses with ties to the park. Their involvement helped bring this project to life, capturing the spirit of belonging and community that defines Victoria Park.
The portraits featured in Faces of the Park honour the individuals and organisations who have contributed to the revival of Victoria Park - a living tribute to creativity, collaboration, and the power of belonging.
Installation: Sculpture, Sound, Film
Mixed Media including reindeer moss and Corylus Colurna(Turkish hazel)
spudWORKS, Station Rd, Sway, Lymington SO41 6BA
17 - 31 January 2025
I transformed the gallery into an immersive, fantastical realm inspired by the enchanting world of caterpillars. These often-overlooked creatures inhabit a hidden, mysterious underworld beneath our feet - a space rich with texture, movement, and quiet magic seldom seen up close. By inviting visitors into this microcosm, I aimed to create a transformative experience that shifted their perspective, immersing them in a miniature world where unfamiliar landscapes took on larger-than-life dimensions.
Exhibitions, live performances, wearable sculptures, films, installations, and workshops
Southsea, Portsmouth, Havant, North Boarhunt, Southampton, Bridport, and London
Supported by public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England and Gane Grant
October 2022 - June 2023
Fly Like a Butterfly is a multidisciplinary project by award-winning artist Olana Light, combining wearable sculpture, performance, installation, and film. Inspired by nature, Olana encourages audiences to rethink how we use resources and how our choices impact the planet.
Her large-scale caterpillar and butterfly wearable sculptures-made largely from natural materials-explore metamorphosis, psychological transformation, and identity. For Olana, the butterfly is a powerful symbol of change: a reminder that, wherever we begin, we can evolve, grow, and live more harmoniously with nature.
Committed to making art accessible, she brings her performances directly into public spaces, reaching people who may not normally encounter contemporary art.
Aesthetica&StreetLife Changing Room Commission 2022
Site-Specific Reindeer Moss Installation
UNITE. CREATE. TRANSFORM
1 - 30 November 2022
The StreetLife Hub
29-31 Coney St, York YO1 9QL
Olana Light transforms the relationship between society and nature, asking us to adjust our perception of how we use resources and to think deeply about the impact our lifestyle choices have on the planet. Light invites individuals to reconnect with nature through natural materials, creating a sanctuary made from reindeer moss. This environment inspires us to become more conscious of our relationship with the Earth. Her work occupies a space between the mundane and unnervingly strange, reminding viewers to search for meaning and belonging in the uncanny world we inhabit.
The work was commissioned by AESTHETICa and The StreetLife(University of York).
StreetLife is an exciting project funded by the UK Government Community Renewal Fund. It explores new ways to revitalise and diversify York’s Coney Street, drawing inspiration from the city’s rich history and heritage and vibrant creative communities, and involving businesses, the general public, and other stakeholders in shaping the future of the high street.