Trembling immobility
Most of our city’s statues are in motion, but they’re going nowhere.
There’s Général Mellinet over there, rallying his troops, sword in the air, standing perfectly still in the square bearing his name.
The colossal Cambronne is on his way out of town… but he hasn’t moved from his eponymous “Cours” for 175 years.
Every year, during our scouting missions, where we select the sites, monuments, perspectives, and public squares that will eventually host an artist’s installation, our staff looks up to the heavens and meets the eyes of the statues that live in the city – ones we no longer see, and yet still represent the city a little.
These frozen citizens intrigue and inspire us with their own individual stories – stories, though, that are not necessarily histories.
We also dream that other migrating statues – ones from other cities in France or around the world – might come to Nantes and transform our understanding of it.
We think about all this… and then we continue our stroll.
However, this year, fascinated by both their presence and their invisibility, we decided they should become characters in our adventure – that some might even become animated, relax a little, and finally come out to meet us in ‘real life’.
Most likely, the statue of that little girl descending from her pedestal in Éloge de la transgression (“Ode to Transgression”) across from Cambronne has inspired our little tale.
Jean Blaise, General Director
Archives of the 2023 summer edition
Parcours inter-écoles
Inter-school itinerary
Île de Nantes is one of the city’s must-visit neighbourhoods. Here, visitors discover major art works, like those of Nathalie Talec or Lilian Bourgeat – and yet, they are often unaware of the buzzing artistic and cultural activity that abounds within its higher educational institutions. Since 2022, new curiosities have popped up on Île de Nantes, which pull visitors off the beaten path to discover the talents of the “Campus de l’art”. From installations to exhibitions, the students here are designing the city of tomorrow – and shaking up the neighbourhood, giving it a new color while they’re at it.
Once again this year, Le Voyage à Nantes opens the doors to these unique buildings, which are usually closed to the public, to show the great creative activity inside, the quality of education, and the ins and outs of student life. Le Voyage makes its way into the spaces of production and creation to reveal construction workshops, research spaces, or gathering places where one can only imagine the emulation among students throughout the year.
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