A column rises up, its emblem almost breaking through the roof. Reminiscent of monumental advertising signs one finds next to the highway, 135 kg CO₂ the amount of emissions produced for the creation of this artwork - is made in artisanal rocaille-technique. The decorative practice originated in the 19th century with the rapid spread of the usage of portland cement, which saw the material deployed to mimic natural appearances: faux bois (fake wood), faux pierre (fake stone) and fax rocher (fake rocks). The bark of this concrete tree imitates that of a wild cherry tree, and is crowned with a faux coquillage (fake shell). The scallop - celebrated throughout art history as a symbol of fertility, life, beauty and rebirth - has been appropriated by one of the most polluting multinationals of our globalised capitalist world. Research reveals that Shell is responsible for 1.8 % of all greenhouse emissions since the start of the Industrial Revolution. The opaque grey, grim shell-tree stands as a stark monument for our petrified nature: a world where oceans acidify, shells dissolve, coral reefs fade and die and areas become unlivable due to desertification. A fossilised environment, deprived of life and colour.
