Miroslaw Balka at The Roberts Institute of Art

In May 2024, the Roberts Institute of Art invited Miroslaw Balka to their residency programme in Cortachy Castle, Scotland. During his residency, Balka embarked on a new project that responded to the rural landscape of the surrounding area. Given the residency’s proximity to the Birnam Oak, referenced in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Balka sought to explore the role of the landscape and trees in Shakespeare’s work.

Over the past two centuries, the inhabitants of Cortachy Castle have planted trees to honour named individuals surrounding the property. With his interest in measurements and connections between nature and culture, Balka recorded the dimensions of each tree. He then translated these measurements on a one-to-one scale onto a large piece of paper, creating a series of overlapping circles that highlight the interconnectedness of the memorial trees and draw parallels to the collective force of Birnam Wood in Macbeth.