On Christmas 2012 citizens and visitors of Brussels had the chance to see a unique Christmas Tree light installation. An abstract light installation replaced the traditional Christmas tree at the Grand Place in Brussels.
Traditionally, a 65-foot pine tree from the forests of the Ardennes decorates the city’s central square, the Grand Place. On 2012 this was replaced with an 82-foot sculptural cubic construction. An artistic installation vaguely shaped like a Christmas tree standing in the city center of Brussels.
Created by French collective 1024 Architecture, the “Abies Electronicus” came to life with a light and sound show, replete with shimmering lights, glowing cubes, and a mix of both holiday and industrial music. And unlike traditional trees, visitors could actually climb to the top of the Abies Electronicus for a panoramic view of the city.
The mayor’s office in Brussels declared that the bright installation is “Light” and “Shows off the avant-garde character of Brussels by blending the modern and the traditional, to produce something new and different”.
However, this enormous abstract Christmas Tree created mixed feeling, some residents were displeased with the city’s modern take on holiday tradition. An online petition against the new tree gathered more than 25,000 signatures. The voters who drafted the petition call for a “real Christmas tree”, and say that they want “respect for [their] values and [their] traditions”.
That was the end of the abstract sculpture Christmas Tree in Brussels, yet is still exists in pictures, in our blog.
