This is the centrepiece of next month’s Olympic celebration in Oxford’s South Park.

The Tree of Light will gradually illuminate at the climax of the event on Monday, July 9, during an hour-long performance to feature 750 singers and dancers.

This latest picture shows the 16-metre tree under construction at the studios of Block9 in East Ham, London.

It will arrive in the city tomorrow to be put up in the park.

The five-year-old firm is famous for its sculpture of a replica of a tower block with a London Underground Northern Line train bursting from the fifth floor.

For its Oxford installation, cyclists will help generate power for LED lights to slowly illuminate the tree at the South Park performance, for which all 20,000 free tickets have now been snapped up by residents.

A spokesman said: “The Tree of Light will be an extraordinary explosion of music, light, dance and theatre.

“The performances will tell the story of a mythical tree rediscovered in a future where trees are no more than a memory.

“The natural order has become unstable and industrial facilities have been constructed in an attempt to recreate natural processes.”

He said: “The piece will be full of drama and excitement and promises to be a moving human spectacle highlighting the rich and fragile relationship between people and their environment.

“The performances are the culmination of a wider project exploring the relationship between science, art and the natural world.”

The project – to also feature at an event in Henley on July 21 – has been funded by the Legacy Trust UK as part of the cultural celebrations around the London games.

The performance will be enhanced by electronic musician Matthew Herbert and sound designer James Mather, who has worked on the Harry Potter movies.

The Olympic Torch will arrive in the county on Monday, July 9, and pass through Bicester, Kirtlington, Woodstock, Kidlington and Oxford.

The celebration will be held in South Park that night and the torch will set off from Iffley Road for Abingdon and Wallingford the next day.

All tickets for the Iffley Road event have been allocated.