Metaphore: the Tree of Utah

Southwest of the Great Salt Lake, on the Bonneville Salt Flats along I-80, Karl Momen created the visually-stunning 87-foot tall (875-ton) “Metaphor: the Tree of Utah.” Born in Southern Russia, by Iran, and trapped in a successful career as an architect in Sweden, Momen walked away from architecture in 1983 and instantly exploded in the art world.

Driving across America in 1981, Momen was struck by the stark landscape of the Bonneville Salt Flats. Almost immediately, he envisioned the Tree, which had been a consistent element in his earlier architectural and artistic endeavors. Momen found almost immediate support from the Utah Arts Council (which would waiver from that point forward), local sculptor Dennis Smith, and then-engineer, later-waste mogul, now-Trolley Square owner Kosro Semnani who donated the land, provided funding, and shepherded the project through the many agency approvals that were required.

During the technically- and financially-fraught construction process—due mostly to a late soils report stating that 25 concrete and steel piles would need to be sunk 90 feet into the ground to support the structure—Momen sold condominiums and a cabin he owned, ultimately using $1,000,000 of his own money, to keep the project afloat. He also took out large loans from many sources, not only Semnani.

Utah has never quite known what to do with this extraordinary gift. To this day, there is no proximate cross-over lane from eastbound I-80 to easily access the world-renowned piece of landscape art, and there is not even a pull-off from the westbound lane of I-80 (where stopping is technically illegal). The non-profit Tree of Utah Momen Foundation is working to build the necessary roadwork, along with a museum and interpretive center.