Olive tree cuttings, cloning and the last trace of life of an old, dead olive tree

(Xhendelesse, March 2012)

Deposited by the Songes not-for-profit association, as part of the DESRACINES collaborative project.

In 2011, the DESRACINES group was formed to artistically explore 36 dead olive trees that has been imported to Belgium. DESRACINES decided to explore the stories and emotions that these trees inspired. This is because their symbolism is strong. Fragments of the Mediterranean, figures of exile and immigrants, symbols of longevity, sacred family trees, etc. In March 2012, a pomologist took a cutting from one of the last rejects at the request of the group.

Today, DESRACINES works towards a collective artistic project, one that results from an exchange process and a process of construction for diverse and varied audiences. The piece and the various impressions that result from this process are presented to the Liège public on Esplanade Saint Léonard (exhibition on 6 July). An exhibition of photographs is presented in the auditorium.

The ancestral history of these trees begins in Spain, in a region where the production of olive oil represents an important industrial resource. Olive trees become less profitable with age. Gradually, they are torn out and replaced by younger specimens, which are better suited to mechanised exploitation. The old trees are then purchased, transported and sold abroad. This is particularly true in Belgium. From orchard trees, they become garden trees. Free from the logistics of production, they become decoration.

After a few years of successful exploitation, the Belgian climate catches up with the all-powerful illusion and many olive trees succumb to cold and humidity. This is the end of these trees' decorative careers, though they nevertheless embody longevity. What fate awaits these lifeless masses of wood? Decomposition? Burning? Sculpture?