A British expat living in Korea has started a project that he hopes will become the world’s largest “digital forest.”

Photographer and artist Martyn Thompson has asked artists to draw a picture of a tree, which he will then feature on his website in a continuous line with all the other submissions in a project aptly called “The People’s Forest.”

“I have always had an interest in trees, and the unique characteristics that each one has, as it fights for survival, stretching up to reach the light, and digging down to find resources,” Thompson said.

“I drew parallels with this, and the way that people use social networks digging for stories and information to share, with the ‘likes’ the battle for the leaves to get the most attention or sunlight.”

The project will run for an unspecified amount of time, but it is Thompson’s hope that the forest will feature a tree from every country.

“As people get more involved, I expect it to spread. My hypothesis is that it will start in England and Korea, and possibly expand out,” he said.

“So far, I have had submissions from artists and kids, so regardless of a person’s creative skill level, anybody can submit, and their work will be shown on the site.”

Submissions can be made to www.thepeoplesforest.wordpress.com. More information is available on The People’s Forest Facebook page.

By Elliott Brennan (ebrennan@heraldcorp.com)