On Wednesday 24 September 2025, the Cambridge Biomedical Campus (CBC) celebrated the launch of Senescent Generator, a major new public artwork by internationally acclaimed British artist Shezad Dawood. Commissioned by Prologis and curated by Futurecity, the work takes the form of a sculptural Yew tree, conceived as both a gathering space and a contemplative landmark within the campus.

The event took place on the rear lawn at Abcam with an introduction from Prologis and an in-conversation between Dawood and curator Sinéad McCarthy. The evening also featured a live sound installation, light refreshments, and the opportunity for the campus and wider community to experience the work together.

About the Artwork

Senescent Generator continues Dawood’s research into interspecies systems and the hidden communication networks that exist between plant roots. Drawing inspiration from the Yew tree (Taxus baccata), the sculpture embodies the collaborative and symbiotic networks that sustain both ecological and human communities - an apt metaphor for the interconnected research ecosystem at CBC.

The Yew has been revered for centuries as a symbol of longevity, resilience, and regeneration. In ancient Druidic traditions, the tree was considered sacred for its unique ability to renew itself through branches that could root into the earth and form new trunks. Today, the Yew’s biochemistry continues to hold vital significance: anti-cancer compounds are derived from its otherwise poisonous foliage, encapsulating the duality of healing and danger that has long surrounded the tree.

Fabricated in welded brass, the sculpture will undergo a natural process of transformation, darkening with age and potentially cultivating lichen across its surface. Planting has been designed to grow around the work, shifting with the seasons to create an evolving, living environment. Together, these elements reflect the artwork’s central themes of adaptation, renewal, and transformation.

A Living Soundscape

Complementing the sculpture is a specially commissioned sound composition by artist Teresa Winter, using frequency recordings of local Yew trees at Ascension Parish Burial Ground by Dr. Michal Mos and Marta Kluba. This immersive soundscape encourages visitors to pause, listen, and enter into dialogue with the rhythms of the natural world.

With its integrated seating, Senescent Generator functions as a communal space as well as an artwork, inviting visitors to reflect on their journeys and their place within an interconnected ecosystem.

About the Artist

Shezad Dawood is a multidisciplinary artist who interweaves stories, realities and symbolism to create richly layered artworks, spanning painting, textiles, sculpture, film and digital media. Fascinated by ecologies and architecture, his work takes a philosophical approach, asking questions and exploring alternative futures through what Dawood describes as ‘world-building’. His practice is animated by research, working with multiple audiences and communities to delve into narrative, history and embodiment. Dawood’s recent exhibitions and commissions include A Garden of the Floating World (Mumbai, 2025), Leviathan (Salisbury Cathedral, 2023), and Night in the Garden of Love (Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, and WIELS, Brussels, 2023).