It is a work in the shape of a cone 11 m high, 5 m in diameter in its base and weighing two tons which will take the place of the large Christmas tree traditionally installed on the town hall square of Bordeaux for the Christmas holidays. It took a lot to compensate for the absence of the “dead tree”, which Pierre Hurmic, the environmentalist mayor, no longer wanted. It was artist-designer Arnaud Lapierre who proposed to the chosen one a project that combines both ecological and spectacular exemplarity. The components of the work arrive this Saturday, they will be assembled by the 10th for an inauguration scheduled for December 11th.
At the start of the 2020 school year, when the mayor announces that there will be no more trees in the square for the holidays, he has to face a general outcry and a petition is even launched for the return of the conifer. “There was a controversy because we removed a symbol and we did not put anything in its place, analyzes Arnaud Lapierre. I told myself that there might be an opportunity for the town hall to propose a new identity icon, which would be a revisited tree, a more artistic, more immersive vision. “
“The different levels fit together like an Ikea piece of furniture”
The work of Arnaud Lapierre, inspired by a smaller creation already made for the city of Saint Petersburg, has a steel structure and glass panels, like one-way mirrors, in emerald color. . “All materials are recycled and recyclable,” assures the artist. The work can be reused for several years. And, if one day it is dismantled, it can be recycled at least 90%. He worked with the Bordeaux metallery, a metalwork workshop which is located in Latresne, near Bordeaux. “There is no piece that has been made more than 50 kilometers around the city”, welcomes Arnaud Lapierre.
Even in the installation, everything has been thought out to minimize the environmental impact. “The work is made up of several levels that fit together like an Ikea piece of furniture, we will assemble piece by piece,” specifies the designer. It is not a work of several tons delivered with a crane, which is an aberration in my opinion. “
The glass panels will create reflections that should amuse the audience. The cathedral and the environment of the work will be reflected there with beautiful variations depending on the time of day. “Vision games will be created and this is why the work is immersive because it can be appropriated by as many people as possible”, points out the artist, whose first project in France is. He works more in Asia and the United States. It remains to be seen how the people of Bordeaux will welcome this glass tree which is no longer a pine green …