The Singing Ringing Tree, a Steel Sound Sculpture in the English Countryside, Is Straight Out of a Horror Movie

Art is subjective, but a 10-foot-tall sculpture named the Singing Ringing Tree near Burnley, England, is more often than not responsible for a slight sense of unease among visitors. The towering steel structure is comprised of hollow tubes that reach up and out into the sky. When the wind comes, it begins to make an eerie kind of music. It’s a bit like a wind chime, albeit one where you half-expect a talking goat to jump out of the bushes and drag you to the netherworld.

Designers Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu placed holes in each of the pipes to allow air to pass through. The sound can change depending on the direction of the wind, but most of its melodies wouldn’t necessarily be out of place in a horror movie about an English countryside cult. (Note: There don’t appear to be any cults around.)

Technically an aeolian harp, or an instrument operated by wind, the Singing Ringing Tree was originally installed in 2006. The name comes from a 1960s BBC fantasy show, The Singing Ringing Tree, which had a surrealistic approach.

The sculpture was part of a project for the East Lancashire Environmental Arts Network to improve the countryside. It won the National Award of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2007 for architectural excellence.