Zoe Jo Rae is a British designer, maker, and arborist who lives in a forest near Oslo, Norway. A rural upbringing and a career in tree work are fundamental elements in Zoe’s identity and design practice.

Second Skin is a tapestry made of elm bark and bast, the elements the elm tree sheds as it dies of Dutch Elm Disease. During her residency at Schloss Hollenegg, Rae climbed a dead elm, and by exploring areas of the tree inaccessible to most, she collected imagery and documentation which informed her work. The colours, marks, and textures of the tapestry represent the tree as it stands now, in a state of decay. The techniques used by Rae to make the tapestry —weaving, embroidery, paper making, sewing, dying, patch-working—combine traditional skills and new experiments. The bast (the living tissue just under the bark) is harvested during routine pruning of elm trees; it is soaked in water for days and then broken down into threads that are woven and embroidered. The pieces which are unsuitable as threads are pulped to make a paper-like material. Aronia berries, blueberries and iron are used to colour the elm bast and cotton threads.