An oak is growing in the forest. A man is walking around its trunk and cuts the bark with a knife. His hand scores a ring around the tree – it looks as if he is caressing the oak. The performance lasts longer than it is possible to observe -– one after another age ring after age ring of the tree is severed. The oak becomes vulnerable despite the calm steps and meditative activity of the man. Step by step a circular trail occurs around the tree. Who is hurting whom and who is going to win this fight remains unclear. Whether the strength of the tree wanes against the persistence of the man – our endurance becomes relative when what has been growing for a century is destroyed in many hours. At the end of the silent dispute the tree lies on the ground. An oak is the symbol of the von Bismarck family and entails a long and rich German tradition.