Garde l'Est presents the haunting image of bundles nesting in Parisian trees. The bundles are the personal effects belonging to Afghani immigrants. In July 2005, two months before the Paris riots, Benítez systematically recorded every tree in this public space next to the Gare de l'Est. The tree trunks connect two parallel realities, that of French society and that of illegal immigrants, faceless and displaced. Living in the city, yet apart from it, they are often “on the wait” – for another odd job, to continue their journey. Far away from their roots, the immigrants' suspension, both physical and mental, is embodied in their belongings hanging from the trees.