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Avatar’s Tree of Souls ‘planted’ in London’s Hyde Park

The Tree of Souls from James Cameron’s movie Avatar has been swaying in the breeze for the last 2 days to mark today’s release of Avatar on DVD. In Avatar the Tree of Souls stands as the closest connection that the Na’vi people have to their guiding force Eywa and the inhabitants of Pandora try everything in their power to avoid its destruction.

However, there’s no mistaking that you’re not in Pandora when you arrive at Speaker’s corner in London’s Hyde Park in the daytime as you arrive at a rather small willow tree. If you’re going to visit the recently erected Tree of Souls, then make sure it’s a night visit when the full effect will hopefully embrace you.

The tree itself looks quite close to what we’ve all seen in the film, but on not so grand a scale. The fibre optics are supposed to respond to your movement and in the daytime if you tuck one under your coat you can just about see the colour change. At night I imagine this scene to be a whole lot more impressive. The most fun you’ll have is plugging your iPod into one of the hanging cables and introducing the park to a few of your sounds as they play through the tree. A little bit of Michael Jackson on a Sunday went down well with a few singing passersby! Maybe it should stay, so we can all enjoy tree lit night parties in the park wearing blue face paint to make the most of it!

There’s also the ability to Bluetooth a picture to the tree of you and the tree, but it fails to mention what the tree then does with it, but I’m assuming there’s some sort of website gallery somewhere. If you have a smart phone you can also receive Avatar wallpapers and clips from the film.

The verdict... Hyde Park’s Tree of Souls is a little bit of a letdown, but fun all the same and a spectacle at night I’m sure.

Written by Lyndsey Cooper

Previously working at Syfy, but still writing for the pure passion of it all. Beetlejuice and Alice are at the top of her list . Really wants to step through the looking glass, visit the wonderful wizard of Oz, live through the animated world of Lenore and escape to the written realm that Neil Gaiman lives within.