Living root bridges are a kind of tree shaping in which rivers are spanned by architecture formed out of the roots of ficus plants. Due to their being made from living, growing, trees, they "show a very wide variety of structural typologies, with various aspects of particular bridges resembling characteristics of suspension bridges, cable-stayed bridges, arches, trusses, and simply-supported beams." They are common in the Indian state of Meghalaya.
Double living root bridge in East Khasi Hills (2011)
Local Khasis using the young, pliable aerial roots of a fig tree to create a new railing for a bridge near the village of Kongthong
A root bridge in Burma Village, East Khasi Hills, being developed without the aid of a scaffold (2016)
A root bridge being grown using a wood and bamboo scaffold. Rangthylliang, East Khasi Hills (2016)
Tree shaping uses living trees and other woody plants as the medium to create structures and art. There are a few different methods used by the various artists to shape their trees, which share a common heritage with other artistic horticultural and agricultural practices, such as pleaching, bonsai, espalier, and topiary, and employing some similar techniques. Most artists use grafting to deliberately induce the inosculation of living trunks, branches, and roots, into artistic designs or functional structures.
Needle & Thread Tree by Axel Erlandson
A chair formed by tree shaping
Living root bridges in Nongriat village, Meghalaya
Chair created using aeroponic root shaping
