In the Parc du Château at the Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire in France, a strange and intruguing crowd of trees with ladders hanging from them were no display from years 2009-2011. This artwork was conceptualized and executed by french artist François Mechain, and titled L’arbre aux échelles, which means “ladders tree”.  This fascinating installation consists of several ladders leading from the ground into the branches of a tall tree, where the tops of the manmade structures disappear into the foliage. L’arbre aux échelles was inspired by Italian writer Italo Calvino’s novel The Baron in the Trees, in which the protagonist takes refuge among the branches to escape the stress of everyday life. Mechain invites the viewer to imagine climbing the ladder and playing amongst the trees, viewing the world from above. Its a wonderful sight that symbolizes an “escape” from the troubles down below. His other site-specific installations also possess a surreal and mysterious quality that is sure to make a passer-by stop and meditate upon the image created before them. 

Visit Mechain’s website here 

via recyclart