A japanese point of view in the Esturay
They needed a new link to the Loire in Lavau-sur-Loire, a village outside Nantes, so the locals called on Japanese artist Tadashi Kawamata to make them one.
Kawamata, known for his work in architectural construction, has built bridges before. Art critics say they are “known for connecting the everyday, more functional object to art, bonding the individual and society.” Kawamata says, “I just want to help people communicate.”
The citizens of Lavau-sur-Loire wanted to communicate with their riverbank. Their village lies in a rural setting and was without a real passage. “They had a path, but it was pretty muddy,” notes Kawamata.
The architect came from Tokyo, looked around, got inspired, then went home and designed a walkway, 200 meters long and two meters wide, to be fashioned out of wood. At one end he placed a tower, seven meters high, so people could climb up and survey the land and their cherished waterway, now made accessible.
Kawamata’s project is part of 30 works by international artists that will comprise a trail stretching from Nantes to the Atlantic Ocean and reinvent the local landscape.
Under his direction, 10 students from the Ecole Superieure de Bois (Woodworking School), built the tower on campus, then reassembled it in onsite. It’s the students, he says, who have brought the project to life.
Kawamata is not the type to stay in his studio. He prefers finding ideas onsite and dialogue with local people, especially students. “Not so much in a purely professional sense,” the 53-year-old explains, “but artistically - sharing their ideas and feelings. I don’t talk to them about art. I prefer talking about practical things. They’re interested in engineering, not art history. So I share my experience about how to work with materials.”
That experience is considerable. Kawamata has been active since 1985 in Europe and erected similar constructions in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Norway. Most of his time is spent on the Continent these days, and he plans a move to Paris in the future.
The Nantes project is unusual since his creations are normally short-lived. “I always destroy my work,” he says, “but this walkway will be permanent. It’s one of the few projects I’ll leave standing - that makes it exceptional for me. I also like the fact that people can now reach the water without getting their shoes dirty.”
“Students have brought the project to life.”
Kawamata, known for his work in architectural construction, has built bridges before. Art critics say they are “known for connecting the everyday, more functional object to art, bonding the individual and society.” Kawamata says, “I just want to help people communicate.”
The citizens of Lavau-sur-Loire wanted to communicate with their riverbank. Their village lies in a rural setting and was without a real passage. “They had a path, but it was pretty muddy,” notes Kawamata.
The architect came from Tokyo, looked around, got inspired, then went home and designed a walkway, 200 meters long and two meters wide, to be fashioned out of wood. At one end he placed a tower, seven meters high, so people could climb up and survey the land and their cherished waterway, now made accessible.
Kawamata’s project is part of 30 works by international artists that will comprise a trail stretching from Nantes to the Atlantic Ocean and reinvent the local landscape.
Under his direction, 10 students from the Ecole Superieure de Bois (Woodworking School), built the tower on campus, then reassembled it in onsite. It’s the students, he says, who have brought the project to life.
Kawamata is not the type to stay in his studio. He prefers finding ideas onsite and dialogue with local people, especially students. “Not so much in a purely professional sense,” the 53-year-old explains, “but artistically - sharing their ideas and feelings. I don’t talk to them about art. I prefer talking about practical things. They’re interested in engineering, not art history. So I share my experience about how to work with materials.”
That experience is considerable. Kawamata has been active since 1985 in Europe and erected similar constructions in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Norway. Most of his time is spent on the Continent these days, and he plans a move to Paris in the future.
The Nantes project is unusual since his creations are normally short-lived. “I always destroy my work,” he says, “but this walkway will be permanent. It’s one of the few projects I’ll leave standing - that makes it exceptional for me. I also like the fact that people can now reach the water without getting their shoes dirty.”
“Students have brought the project to life.”
Date of update April 21, 2010
The project
At Lavau-sur-Loire, Tadashi Kawamata has designed a little wooden path, slightly raised up, which runs into the marsh and seems to float out there. Little by little the path rises in the middle of the reed beds and reaches a huge platform : a 6-metre high tower, a real observatory, rises up out of the marsh.
Kawamata
Tadashi Kawamata works around the world to produce his projects, which always blend in perfectly with the site he has chosen. He uses recovered materials or wood from building to build his ins-tallations. Cheap and easy to handle by everyone, they are synonymous with mobility and precariousness.
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