Nymphéa is a video projected onto the surface of the canal. A woman calmly floats about in her aquatic environment.
Although the Loire River and its tributaries run through Nantes, the 20th century saw a series of public works projects that filled in many of its waterways — for instance, the Erdre River used to flow where the long Cours des 50-Otages road now runs. This river was rerouted into the long Saint-Félix tunnel and now empties out into the Loire, just a few metres from the LU tower.
This double presence of water in the image (and as a medium for the image) creates a blurring effect that is deeply disturbing: the creature appears to be the tunnel’s prisoner and her body stretches inside its inhospitable entrails. The light from the projection plays on the moving surface of the water — a tangible homage to Claude Monet. This sprite is embodied by Laetitia Casta, an icon of our society who becomes a contemporary mythical nymph in this work.
A WORK OF ART CREATED FOR ESTUAIRE 2007. REPRESENTATION OF LAETITIA CASTA’S IMAGE UNDER LICENSE FROM ALLAROSA PRODUCTIONS.
INSTAGRAM
Tunnel Saint-Félix. 44000 Nantes
How to get there?
Parking(s) nearby: Parking Baco-LU 1 côté gare, Parking Gare Château, Parking Cité des Congrès
Public transport: Duchesse Anne - Château, Lieu Unique, Gare Nord - Jardin des Plantes, Cité des Congrès, Monteil, Gare Sud
Self-service bicycles: Strasbourg, Cité internationale des congrès, Gare de nantes nord 2, Baco, Verdun, Château, Lieu unique, Foch, Gare de nantes nord, Jardin des plantes, Duchesse anne, Gare de nantes sud
Artwork visible at nightfall.
Visual artwork.
Explanatory video in French sign language and French subtitles available online.
