Hackney Marshes’ ‘Talking Trees’ mystery solved

Niovi Green is a pupil at Kingsmead Primary School. Photograph: Doug Green

The creator of a mysterious art project in Hackney has been revealed as an 11-year-old schoolgirl local to the area.

Talking Tree Collective is an informal art trail consisting of a series of small signs attached to some of the trees along the River Lea by Hackney Marshes. 

Each sign reveals the imagined inner life of the surrounding trees.

The curious notes began to appear along the walk several weeks ago, and their descriptions vary widely. Some are comically absurd, while others are oddly specific. 

One tree, which the creator has named Barnaby, is described as being obsessed with scooping litter from the river after watching Blue Planet.

Another, Humphrey the 14th, is said to bring good luck to passing travellers (with the notable exception of Sir Francis Bacon).  

Meanwhile, Higgenbottom the Unpopular has reportedly been shunned by neighbouring trees after he spent 17 years telling “what was unanimously agreed to be the worst joke imaginable”.

Higgenbottom the Unpopular has been ‘shunned’ for his terrible joke, his sign reads. Photograph: Doug Green

Elsewhere, walkers may encounter the Splattered Ornithologist – a tree said to be responsible for London’s invasive population of parakeets, having invited them to his branches many years ago.

The signs are anonymous – attributed only to the ‘Talking Tree Collective’ – meaning the identity of their author has, until now, been a mystery.

But it has now been revealed that the project is the work of 11-year-old Niovi Green, a pupil at Kingsmead Primary School.

When asked why she started the project, she told the Citizen: “For fun.

“I always walk around the marshes with my dad and our dog, Coco. Years ago, we started making up stories about interesting looking trees we saw.  Over time, that turned into giving them names and personalities”.

Her father, Doug Green, said the stories “grew organically from us chatting to each other” and then “took on a bit of a life of their own”, with Niovi fully in charge. 

The stories evolved during conversations between Niovi and her dad. Photograph: Doug Green

“Niovi had some very distinct ideas and definitely had editorial control”, he told the Citizen.

After months of planning, Niovi put her favourite stories on signs and placed them along the route.

“It was exciting doing it without getting caught”, she said, adding: “We promise to remove them so they don’t become litter”.

There are 14 trees included in the trail at present, including one which features a “missing” poster.

“That one’s my favourite”, she said.  “It’s a tree that forms a wormhole that once transported a classroom full of children to another dimension.

“I made the poster look old – I just hope no one thinks there really are missing children!”

Niovi with ‘The Splattered Ornithologist’. Photograph: Doug Green

The project has delighted walkers in the area. Niovi and Doug told the Citizen they have noticed dog walkers smiling and laughing at the signs.

The Talking Tree Collective signs can be found along the unpaved river path adjacent to the sealed walkway, running south-east behind the Hackney Marshes football pitches.