[ezg] Papiliorama Foundation - Canopea - epiphytes

From: Caspar Bijleveld <caspar.bijleveld@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "ezg@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <ezg@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2022 09:20:14 +0000

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I hope this finds you all well and happy. I guess the absence of rain over the
summer must have been a lot of added stress to everyone.

I write to you for advice and a few questions, if I may:

The Papiliorama Foundation is in the process of creating a new exhibit on
approximately 1000 m2 called Canopea. The exhibit sits on the top of a
building, and the greenhouse itself will vary in height between 5m and 8m.
Inside a walking bridge will run 4m above a "fake" canopy at 2-3 m, and there
will be 13 large artificial trees based on the geometry of emerging Ceibas
(which I photographed in Belize), varying from 6 to 8 meters in height. The
bridge will take visitors through these emerging trees.

Here my questions:

-       The trees will be made of steel frame, and covered in synthetic
high-resistance mesh. We shall then cover these trunks and branches with either
resin or a cement-based component, in thin layers (as we cannot have too much
weight), but thick enough to imprint a bark texture with special moulds. The
upper part of the branches will be slightly hollow, so as to welcome substrate
and pre-grown mats carrying epiphytes.
-
      My question to you: does anyone have any experience with either resin or
cement-based plaster, and is there any contra-indication of any of the two with
regard to epiphytes growth?

-       Speaking of growing epiphytes on mats that can later be moved and
affixed on the artificial trees: does anyone have experience with a given type
of mat? We are in the process of trying those for the tomato industry (a handy
15x100 cm, 5 cm think)?

-       Last but not least, in due course we shall need a lot of epiphytes,
which will be displayed geographically on separate trees. Would your
institution have surpluses or be willing to propagate some? We shall contact
both botanical gardens and private enthusiasts in Switzerland and elsewhere, we
shall grow from seeds (on the longer term), but we will probably need some
help, with possibly an emphasis on African and Asian epiphyte species.
The building is currently being erected, we hope to have the roof on by the end
of the year, and we'll then start working on building the trees (a prototype
will be made at scale 1:3 quite soon)

Sorry for the rather long email ;-). I'd be very grateful indeed for any answer
you could give me regarding the above.

With all good wishes and all the best,

Caspar Bijleveld
Dir.

Papiliorama
[cid:image001.jpg@01D5C637.14BA6B00]
<https://de-de.facebook.com/papiliorama.foundation/>
[cid:image002.jpg@01D5C637.14BA6B00] <https://www.instagram.com/papiliorama/>
[cid:image003.jpg@01D5C637.14BA6B00]
<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoANSKVQHEj0OlosUTevfIw>

Follow-Ups:
- [ezg] Re: Papiliorama Foundation - Canopea - epiphytes
  - From: Ton Hilhorst

[ezg] Papiliorama Foundation - Canopea - epiphytes

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