Tree of Ténéré, Steel sculpture in Dallas, US

Tree of Ténéré is a large steel tree sculpture standing in an outdoor plaza in Dallas with branches, twigs, and leaves covered in turquoise LED lights. At night the glowing leaves stand out against the glass-fronted building behind, while low planters and thin light poles frame the paved area around the trunk.

The first version of this work appeared at the Burning Man event in 2017 as a collaboration between DRIFT, Zachary Smith, and Mark C. Slee. The Dallas edition was later made for Deep Ellum through Goldman Global Arts, with its creation process taking about two years.

The name recalls a lone acacia that once grew in the Sahara and served as a meeting point for travelers. Here in Deep Ellum, the steel version borrows that idea by inviting people to pause together in a busy American neighborhood.

The sculpture sits in an open paved plaza, so you can walk around it and see the light patterns from different sides. Evenings are the best time to notice how the turquoise glow shifts against the surrounding buildings.

The light color and speed change in response to people moving around the plaza, so each visit can look a little different. Its form was not drawn by hand but generated through software that simulated how a real tree grows under the pressure of light, buildings, and gravity.