The tree was part of an art installation -- it did not grow naturally in the car

This article is more than one year old.
Published on December 5, 2019 at 09:53
3 min read
By AFP India

A video has been viewed tens of thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook and YouTube alongside a claim that it shows a tree growing through the roof of a car. The claim is false; the tree did not grow naturally in the car, but was rather placed there as part of an art installation created by a theatre company in the western French city of Nantes.

The video was published here on YouTube on November 26, 2019.

The one minute 45 second video shows a group of people taking photos of a white car, which has a tree protruding through its roof.

The video’s English and Hindi-language caption translates to English as: "Mystery Tree Grows Inside Car in Nantes France. What is this, tell me if [you] can understand??”

Below is a screenshot of the misleading YouTube video:

The footage was also shared alongside a similar claim in Hindi on Facebook here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

It was posted here on YouTube with a similar Hindi-language claim.

Another video of the same car was also published here on YouTube with a similar claim written in English and simplified Chinese. It has been viewed more than 25,000 times.

The claim is false; the tree did not grow inside the car but was actually placed there as part of an art installation created by Royal de Luxe, a French street theatre group based in Nantes.

A reverse image search on Google found a photo of a similar car with a tree jutting out from its roof published here on Royal de Luxe’s Facebook page on November 19, 2019.

The post’s satirical caption states that one of the theatre’s characters, Mémé Rodéo, planted a seed in the street and overnight a tree grew through a parked car.

Translated to English, the French-language caption adds: “She’s laughing, she’s laughing."

Below is a screenshot of the photo on Royal de Luxe’s Facebook page:

Royal de Luxe also states on its website the tree “grew” through the car on the night of November 17, and that Mémé Rodéo visited the local market during the same week.

The artwork was part of the company’s "Grand Bellevue" project, according to information on the website.

French newspaper Ouest-France reported on the art installation here on November 18, 2019.

The French-language headline translates to English as: "Nantes. With a tree pierced by a car, Royal de Luxe caused a sensation in Bellevue".

Bellevue is an area in Saint-Herblain, a suburb of Nantes.

The subheadline translates to English as: "Local residents were in for an amusing surprise on Monday, November 18, finding a vehicle speared by a tree in Mendes-France square between Nantes and Saint-Herblain. A fresh coup to mark the return of Bellevue theatre company Royal de Luxe. The work was subsequently dismantled on the night of Wednesday, November 20."

Below is a screenshot of the Ouest-France report:

French newspaper 20 Minutes also reported on the installation here on November 19, 2019.

The artwork was installed in Saint-Herblain, as seen on Google Street View.

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