These sculptures, made of molybdenum stainless steel (stronger than stainless steel), cover the real chimneys of bakeries and laundries. They have the aesthetic function of "camouflaging" these chimneys.

Philolaos presents two other works at La Défense: Les nymphéas and L'oiseau mécanique.

Other works in the La Défense collection are also based on ventilation shafts:

• Mosaïque and Vive le vent by Michel Deverne;
• Le Moretti by Raymond Moretti;
• Les Trois Arbres by Guy-Rachel Grataloup;
• Cheminée végétalisée by Édouard François.

Born in Greece, Philolaos Tloupas (known as Philolaos) moved to Paris in the 1950s, where he studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. In 1963, the architect André Gomis invited him to create a "sculpture-architecture" in Valence, enabling him to discover the powers of urban aesthetics. He became the architect's sculptor.

At the same time, one material opened up new possibilities for him and played an important role in his work: stainless steel. In particular, he uses its natural modularity to create forms that escape from geometry, the better to embrace nature. Pursuing his own personal style, Philolaos works in a variety of media, including terracotta, turned wood, smoothed marble and washed concrete.