Review

Rapp Sheet — 9-21-10: Architect to the Sky comes to earth next week in world premiere

Artist and musician Romero Roderick on the set of "Architect to the Sky," which sees its area world premiere next week, and documents the career of a tree-house builder. Image: courtesy of the director

There is a part of every human that has never come down from the trees. We are fascinated by them, stage sit-ins to save them, depend upon their very existence for our own existence. We look to Tarzan and the Ewoks as admired figures who thrive in harmony with their tree house dwellings. As children, we build forts in the branches. We hide among the leaves to temporarily escape the earth or to observe nature. We climb to the uppermost reaches to gain a new perspective of the land laid out before us. In Architect to the Sky, artist, sculptor, builder, and musician Roderick Romero takes us into his own psyche, presenting an intimate vision of a man who pushes the boundaries of tree house design aesthetics and redefines what it means to be living with nature. Many may know of Roderick's work as a front-man for the band Sky Cries Mary and No Futuro, which provide a wonderfully interlaced soundtrack for this new documentary. The film will see its world premiere in Kansas City, Wednesday, September 29 at 7:45 p.m. at the Glenwood Arts Theatres in Overland Park.

An image from "Architect to the Sky." Image: courtesy of the director

Directed by Joseph Hendrickson, a Kansas City native, and Seattle-educated cinematographer turned director, the film chronicles the building process from planning to ceremonial completion of one of Romero's most unique projects — a Moroccan Lantern Tree House, built in the foothills of Los Angeles. Romero takes us through the stages, introducing us to innovative tree house construction techniques, while sharing poignant thoughts about man's relationship with nature, a historical perspective on tree house building, and reminding us of our place in this delicate environmental balance.

"The first tree house I was involved in was out one of those weird moments in your life where someone asks you to do something and you make it up on the spot," says Romero. "It was 1997 and a friend of mine up in Washington State asked me to be part of a 100-acre walk-through art installation in the forest. She said, 'What would you do?' and I told her would like to build kind of a big nest in the trees that you could sleep in and it would be suspended and permanent. It kind of floated out of my mouth and before I knew it, she said, 'Excellent, that's great — go do it!'

"The only problem was — I didn't have any background in carpentry," Romero continues. "I went in with an artist's point of view of creating an installation and then connected with a friend who's a great carpenter. Together the concept became two four-sided pyramids that would be suspended from a cable about 35 feet up in a tree. That was the first one called Nest. It took about nine months to build and was, as you can imagine, a huge learning curve."

An image from "Architect to the Sky." Image: courtesy of the director

In the later 1990s, Romero's brother asked him to help with another tree house in North Bend, Washington, where they embarked upon a winter build. "It was on a property right on the snowline," says Romero. "It was freezing cold. Elk were migrating right under the tree house as we were working. It was an awesome time and a great experience." Romero was hooked. And so became Hendrickson, when he met Romero at an annual tree house convention, and the idea for a short documentary came alive, with the collaboration of his father, Joe Hendrickson, Sr. They spent several months on the job site, during many hours of taping and editing, and the final product displays a true labor of love. "I drove down twice and filmed for about a month at a time, which enabled me to capture every important stage of the build," says Hendrickson. Along with his wife, Anisa, Romero has been designing and building tree houses all over the country and the world for the likes of Sting, Val Kilmer, Julianne Moore, and Donna Karen.

In the spirit of the magic that seems to surround his life, Romero's trade is all through word-of mouth. "It's not really something you advertise," he says. "It's a grass-roots progression and evolution within the tree house community." "One of the best things about building tree houses is that I'm always in a new place," adds Romero. "I get to meet new people and connect with them on another level. "I'm very project-to-project. I don't like to look too much into the future or the past — try to be as present as possible — that's how I've always functioned."

But foremost, Romero seeks to forge new relationships with those who will own a piece of his vision. "It's really important to spend enough time with a client that you get a sense of not only their relationship with nature, but also their relationship with architecture and their own home appearance and aesthetics," says Romero. "There have been times when a client has called and said, 'You can meet with my assistant, and you can send up some drawings.' I've said, 'No offense but I have to meet with you personally.' One celebrity said, 'Do you need to meet with me to see if you're going to build for me?' and I said, 'Kinda, yeah.'"

DVD-cover for "Architect to the Sky." Image: courtesy of the director

Choosing to use almost 99-percent reclaimed lumber, Romero has been a long-time supporter of sustainable architecture. "My materials have always been 100-percent salvaged and reclaimed," he says. "I don't want to contribute to some kind of clear-cut somewhere else while I'm building in nature. I have to make sure I'm always building in harmony with nature. That was really important to Sting and Trudy in particular, who have this obviously encompassing focus toward preservation of the rainforest and all their great work. If you're still a celebrity who's not looking toward green architecture and biodiesel and the different movements, you're really kinda 'off the bus.' You'll become dinosaurs as you consume dead dinosaur fuel!"

Hendrickson and his fellow filmmakers share an enthusiasm for sustainability and green efforts, and recognize that Kansas City is vying be a progressive city, able to contend amidst any coming construction boom. To a large extent, that's why the team wanted to tell this particular story of a visionary, doing things in humble, yet meaningful ways. Romero's tree house creations are becoming one of the most sought after in the field. But Romero is quick to point out that he is just the messenger for something nature has already envisioned: "Nature is the true architect," he says. "I'm mostly trying to figure out how to work in harmony, so location always dictates the structure. I work with the natural lay of the land, the weather patterns …. you have to take time and sit with the land and let it speak to you to decide what materials to build with. I spent six months walking around Sting and Trudy's land, for example, just finding the fallen trees that I would use in the beams and the railings.

An image from "Architect to the Sky." Image: courtesy of the director

"Tree houses have also become increasingly popular because of the breakthroughs in engineering, and the evolution of how they are being built," he adds. "Everyone is working harder and harder to make the houses work in concert with the natural surroundings. We have the least penetration into the tree as possible — but the strongest structure. So now the houses can last as long as the trees themselves. That's a huge breakthrough."

Romero, perhaps more than anyone else, recognizes that tree houses touch upon everyone's inner core of innocence. "Tree houses are a return to that first childlike fascination," he says. "It is something that adults miss the most. As they get older they need that reconnection to that artistic, pure, unadulterated side. I remember when I was five years old building a tree-fort with my two older brothers. It was just a few two-by-fours and pieces of plywood with some plastic covering overhead. But it was a vehicle to go anywhere you wanted to go. One day it was a pirate ship, the next a UFO. It was a porthole. That's why tree houses are have such a profound effect. They reconnect you with nature and let your imagination run wild. "

The premiere of Architect to the Sky is set to dovetail the Kansas International Film Festival, giving participants with a festival pass discounted rates on the premiere. Hendrickson and Romero will both be present for a Q&A and signing directly following the September 29 viewing. Tickets are available at Glenwood Arts Theater for $8.50 each on the day of the event ($5 reduced tickets will be available, too.) For further information or to pre-order tickets, visit Out on a Limb Film Productions. So, come spend some time in the trees and check out this gentle and enlightening documentary.

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