This piece was made upon invitation to the show "The Benevolent Tree" at the Umm El Fahem gallery, curated by Daniel Cahana. It was shown in 2014 and remained on permanent display at the gallery, upon the gallery's request. In Israel and Palestine, the olive tree symbolizes roots and adherence to a land. Being a popular symbol, it has turned through the years into a highly sought after decoration. As such, it is grown in commercial gardens and then uprooted and transported to foreign soils. In some severe cases, trees which are a hundred years old or more are stolen from Palestinian lands under Israeli occupation, to be sold for profit.

The sculpture is made of olive tree parts,  joints that were carved out of olive tree wood, rebar, string and a ladder. The joints are fully functioning, though in this piece the audience cannot move them. The branches and stem were collected from trees that were uprooted from a garden in Jerusalem after a decision was made to redesign it; those same trees were previously removed from their original location to be replanted in this garden. The red ribbon on one of the branches is a remainder of the marking system of the trees chosen for removal. While the turning of the tree to a marionette suggests the exploitation of it as a natural resource and as a traditional symbol, the ladder is brought it to give a human scale and remind one of the absent fruits.

This work was made in collaboration with carpenter Tom Attias, 2014.