GROUND TO FLOURISH.
Beauty to honor loss and destruction.
In 2025, a design team led by Esther Mun of Little Fury was assembled to “re-cast” Kingston House to Anker. More than a re-brand, the team’s task was to design for a new identity. The team also produced a video, directed by James H. Martin, highlighting the Residency program.
Video stills by Ridgewood Films.
Overview
Pacific madrone(Arbutus menziesii) is a resilient and striking tree native to the Pacific Northwest. Characterized by its glossy evergreen leaves and smooth and peeling bark, it provides vital food and nesting habitat.
One specimen outside the House’s nook grew at a TK-degree angle and was one of Anker owner Matt’s favorite trees. Sadly, when a large Red alder toppled during a winter storm, it took about three-quarters of the beloved madrone with it.
In TK, Matt reached out to Sarah McGrath, a Bremerton-based sculptor and floral designer, to explore how they might honor the tree with an installation inside the House. Over the course of TK months, Sarah and Matt selected branches that would appear to weave through the walls, as if growing from the House itself; the suspended limbs would create space and uncertainty.
Full Circle Photograph
The branches’ jarring shapes and bold lines were softened by gold clouds of allium and Anker hydrangea. Sarah describes these elements as reflections of grief- intense pain and longing with moments of magic and delight.
Many of the tree’s scars are highlighted with gold paint. Inspired by the Japanese art form kintsugi, which is often associated with repaired ceramics, these wounds are honored as integral parts of the whole. According to Sarah, through great loss and suffering, profound beauty and wisdom can be forged.
Ridgewood Films
About the Resident
