Musician Tree Park

The Musician Tree

Welcome to the future park “The Musician Tree” at Sion next to the Place du Scex and to the Cantonal College for Music. Dedicated to visually impaired people, it will also be a particular place for those who love art, the magic of tales or simply the urban stroll.

It is the second park to come into being under the concept “Voir c’est Toucher” (Seeing through touch). Along a one hundred and fifty meter walk the visitor discovers seventeen bronze sculptures illustrating a story. Each sculpture comes with a vine stock serving as support for explanations in French and German as well as in Braille.

In line with the cultural rights of impaired people, the project facilitates their access to art. It fully responds to the requirements of article 30 of the 2008 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, particularly with regard to sensory and intellectual mobility, in order to improve the beneficiaries’ autonomy.

The Musician Tree

Interview de Hervé Richoz
Rédacteur à la Fédération Suisse des Aveugles et malovyants FSA

©crédits Cris Photography

Coming Together

The work is meant to enhance exchange between people in an environment that removes barriers of age, nationality and society.

Accessible free of charge at all times, the permanent outdoor facility is open to all and easily accessible for wheelchairs. The park will find it’s place in the middle of the city, close to the Place du Scex and the Cantonal College for Music. First implemantation was done on september 2022.

A place to meet

The aim of the work is the exchange between visitors in the spirit of a communication without barriers of age, nationality, society.

Accessible free of charge and at all times, the perennial outdoor installation is open to all and is easily accessible for wheelchairs. The park is practically in the center of the city, east of the Place du Scex, near the Conservatoire Cantonal. The first part of the park was installed and inaugurated on September 30, 2022.

The project is in line with the cultural rights of disabled people to allow them to keep contact with art. It perfectly meets the requirements of Article 30 of the 2008 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It corresponds in particular to the motor, sensory and intellectual accessibility, greatly favoring the autonomy of the beneficiaries.

The work is meant to bring people together and everyone has the opportunity to participate in its birth by making a donation according to their possibilities.

Photo credits: Cris Photography - Nicolas Gattlen

See the park on the map

A New Concept

This work of art is one of a kind, in that it features seventeen sculptures illustrating the tale of a tree becoming a violin. Each scene is made to be touched and comes with a text explaining the story step by step in Braille and letters.

The sculptures are playful and also educational and make art accessible to everybody. People use their fingers and explore the gentle forms of the bronze: a book, a figurine, a tree, a bird, and get inspired by the magic, wisdom, hope, and joy expressed with poetry by the sculptor

détail sculpture parc l'arbre musicien à sion

Swiss Made

The Musician Tree will be realized in Switzerland, created by sculptor Sara.H in collaboration with the artist DeLaPerouze and the art foundry Perseo SA, backed up by the Association Voir c’est Toucher and supported by donators, honorary members and its community.

This major work is entirely financed by donations and will be offered as a gift to the city of Sion, which has dedicated a beautifully situated park to its installation.

The Book

Long time ago Sara.H has written and illustrated a book “The Musician Tree”, that became the basis for the bronze work. The book is only available in French and German but we offer you here the English text.

You may want to ask for the book to the association but also find it in libraries

French : N° ISBN 978-3-9524709-47
German : N° ISBN 978-3-9524709-54

Price: CHF 20.-

Ask for the book

The Tale

Written version

In the middle of a vast, green prairy, a spruce tree grew up all alone. The days passed by peacefully but boredom was starting to invade.
The more time passed by, the more lonely he felt. One stormy night, while the wind did one of his frenzied dances, the spruce had an idea. He decided to join him. He merrily swayed his branches and twigs to and fro. Thus, a melodious sound traversed the plain.
The tree froze and silence returned. Then gently, he started to make a few movements in the wind with his branches. The sound could be heard again. He moved faster and faster, and soon an unbridled melody rose towards the sky. Joy filled his empty heart. He had discovered music.
Each day, the spruce and the wind played their different tunes, and so they spent more than 300 years together brightening up the nature around them.
However, one day, the woodsman had to cut down the tree. Old age had made it weak and a sickness had started to invade its roots. The tree was bought by a carpenter from the region.
Days, weeks, months passed by and the spruce stayed at the back of the carpenter's workshop. Not one piece of furniture could be made with this block of wood. The old tree was so sad that he wept until his tears ran dry.
One evening, at dusk, a man entered the workshop. He carefully looked through the stock of wood presented by the carpenter. The visitor seemed worried and paced around the room muttering.
Suddenly, he stopped in front of the old spruce tree. He touched the dried bark with his hand. His look changed. A glow illuminated his eyes….it was this piece of wood that he needed! The man was a luthier. The wood that he was searching for had to be dry, light, hard, yet also have elasticity. Spruce trees are well known for having all of these qualities, and this particular one had cried so much that his heart had become completely dried up.
The two men made a deal and the luthier returned to his house with the old tree. He worked non-stop for several weeks. The artisan’s fingers worked their magic. The block of wood was transformed into a violin with beautiful rounded shapes. No one had ever paid him so much attention. Slowly, the spruce regained a taste for life.
Finally, one night, the luthier finished his masterpiece. He gazed upon it and delicately placed it next to a magnificent cello. Satisfied, he took himself to bed. A few days later, a man and his son entered the workshop. The man told the artisan that his child was looking for a violin.
Instinctively, the luthier led them towards the instrument that he had just finished and handed it to the little boy. He put it on his shoulder and gently placed his cheek on the chinrest. He slid the bow against the strings and the fingers of his left hand danced along the neck.
Warm, pure notes flooded the room. The child was captivated. It really was the violin that he had always dreamt of. As for the old tree, he could not believe it. It was from his very heart that these sounds were being born! A feeling of joy and gratitude took over him.
The man and his son returned to their home carrying the instrument. Unable to sleep, the child got up in the middle of the night and pulled out the violin from its case. Under the mischievous gaze of the moon, which seemed to be waiting only for this, he began to play a sweet melody. The gentle wind also heard it. The melody seemed familiar to him. He came closer and recognized his friend the spruce. His form was different, but it was him.
At that very moment, they resumed their game of yesteryear. For miles around, the wind carried away the notes which floated from the violin, the spruce, his old friend found again. All lights went on in the neighboring villages . People got out of their houses, pulled from sleep by the music from far away. And they all walked to meet the little musician.
The child was there, his eyes shining full of joy, passionately making his bow dance on the strings of his violin. The villagers, touched by such beauty, listened with delight. Amazed, they applauded on the last note.
The whole world heard about the child with the enchanted violin. The little musician made a vow to improve the life of everyone by offering his music to the whole world. From that day, he traveled the world with his companions: his violin the old spruce tree, and their accomplice the wind.

L'Arbre Musicien

I participate in the realization of the new park

CHF 555'000

The Musician Tree

The Musician Tree

Coming Together

A place to meet

A New Concept

Swiss Made

The Book

The Tale

Written version

Choice of language

L'Arbre Musicien

I participate in the realization of the new park

CHF 555'000

Musician Tree Park

The Musician Tree

The Musician Tree

Coming Together

A place to meet

A New Concept

Swiss Made

The Book

The Tale

Written version

Book Légende d'Automne

Book l'Arbre Musicien