It’s Art, It’s Smart and It’s in the Pays de la Loire This Summer
If you think that art exhibitions are only mounted in galleries or gardens, think again. This summer (June 6 to August 16), the mouth of the Loire River is the setting for what must be one of the world’s largest art shows: Estuaire.
The works will be displayed and created on, along and even in the River Loire.Between Nantes and St Nazaire, the river is a 25-mile link between two cities that share a common history of shipbuilding and trade. And, now it also provides a backdrop for some of the most thought-provoking works you will ever see.
Back in 2007, the first Loire Estuary Project featured 40 art installations. People still talk about the 25-metre tall giant duck and a house that seemed to float in the river. You can still enjoy several of the works:
• In Nantes, see giant rings enlightened at night marching along the water out in the city’s industrial area
• At Couëron, sit on a bench and watch a fountain spurting high in to the sky…
• At Le Pellerin, Misconceivable is a witty work, a banana-shaped boat that seems to be melting…
And they are all free of charge…
This summer several of the international artists have already been announced, though their works are still under wraps: Daniel Buren, Felice Varini, Julius Popp, Kinya Maruyama, Edwin van der Heide. One project will be at a massive World War II submarine base in St Nazaire. Poplar trees are being planted inside the 300-metre long bunker, so that they can grow up and out into the daylight and form a green garden: the trembling leaves will contrast with the harsh concrete.
You can drive, cycle or walk to see most of the installations (all are free to view), but you can also take to the river for a three-hour boat cruise on board a specially-built boat. This unique audio-guided tour, designed by the artists and available in English and French, accompanies you through the river’s landscapes, its cultural and historic heritage and, of course, the installations themselves.
Also incorporated into the trail are important art and cultural venues such as Le Grand Café art centre in St Nazaire, the Nantes Museum of Fine Arts, the chateau of the Dukes of Brittany and the extraordinary Machines de l’Ile workshop. See techies building new mobile monsters, such as giant squid – then, sitting on top or in its stomach, ride the 40-foot tall mechanical elephant on a tour.
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