Christmas trees go eco-friendly at Chennai hotels

Bhagwan tells DT Next about the process, “When the hotel got in touch to install a tree, I started reading about the evolution of Christmas trees and what type of trees generally people used to set up. I found some references and with those inputs, we developed this tree. The yule tree is an illusionistic walk-in art piece repurposed from 8 mm plywood that’s discarded from the hotel. Because of the light reflections in the morning and evening, viewers can see a color transition.”

The art installation is conceptualized by Bhagwan Chavan, Premalatha, Aparajithan Adimoolam associated with BCRAF (Bhagwan Chavan Research Art Foundation) and Cholamandal Artist Village. 

Talking further about the tree that took almost 20 days to complete, he adds, “This tree has been structured in an octagon shape — so one can walk in and walk out and witness it from all angles. The octagonal arrangement gives a feeling of cocooned warmth as well.”

After seeing the discarded steel pipes, rubber tyres and wood lying at Courtyard by Marriott Chennai, chief engineer Dinesh Kumar decided to make use of them. Along with his team at the hotel, they made a 25-feet tree with recycled pipes and tyres. 

“We wanted to make a sustainable tree and inspire our guests. We took over a week to make the tree. Once the structure was ready, it was painted in hues of gold and a cascade of lights was used to decorate it,” says Dinesh Kumar.

On Sunday, InterContinental Chennai Mahabalipuram Resort unveiled its Christmas tree sculpted from sand and seashells. The 14-feet tall nautical tree is installed to create an eco-awareness message revolving around the climate change and beach erosion experienced by the eastern coast of Mahabalipuram.