Google Trees is a joint proposal by Certain Measures, Clement Valla and Typico GmbH to produce a life-size fabricated tree from Google Earth. The ubiquitous software translates trees into very simple 3D models in surprising ways-transforming trees into simple surfaces and volumes. These forms are the result of a complicated process engineered by Google. Data and photographs are parsed and recombined to produce a new navigable 3D world. The forms are optimized for viewing on screen and being transmited over a network-highly compressible illusions that practically any computer can display with minimal resources.The trees are a new typology, a new type of illusion for our current on-screen age. They result from near-automated picture making processes so they look strange to human eyes. These strange forms are passing too, like superceded by tomorrow's new pictures.