{"id":134371,"date":"2026-04-09T12:19:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T10:19:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.levoyageanantes.fr\/oeuvres\/les-misteriennes\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T15:29:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T13:29:07","slug":"les-misteriennes","status":"publish","type":"oeuvre","link":"https:\/\/www.levoyageanantes.fr\/en\/artworks\/les-misteriennes\/","title":{"rendered":"Les Mist\u00e9riennes"},"content":{"rendered":"

With its spectacular waterfall and lush vegetation of over 200 plant species, the Jardin Extraordinaire recreates the spirit of Jules Verne\u2019s Voyages extraordinaires, whilst being built on a former granite quarry. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Le Voyage \u00e0 Nantes invited artist Barbara Schroeder, whose earth-based practice reveals hidden relationships between soil, plants, and the people who cultivate them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For several years, Schroeder has used cow dung as her primary medium within an ongoing project she calls the \u201cMist\u00e9rian Cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Made from cow dung mixed with earth, cellulose wadding, and cement, Les Mist\u00e9riennes<\/em> consists of six monumental columns bearing the imprint of leaves from some of the site\u2019s most remarkable trees. Each sculpture is named after one of the cows that provided the material: Pupille, R\u00e9b\u00e9ca, Rozi, Ange, Lune, and Mimi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within their cracks and cavities, mosses and plants form miniature gardens that blur the line between sculpture and habitat. Like primitive architectures, The Mist\u00e9riennes evoke both the grandeur of ancient civilizations and an organic fragility, transplanting rural memory into an exotic landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Find out more in the press kit<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\t<\/div><\/section>\n\t

Barbara Schroeder (born in 1965, in Kleve, Germany) lives and works in Teuillac, in the Bordeaux region.
\nVoir le compte Artist’s Instagram account.<\/a><\/p>\n

Le Voyage \u00e0 Nantes would like to thank the city\u2019s Parks Department, and Romaric Perrocheau, Franck Leminoux, Catherine Herbette in particular.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\t

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Places to visit nearby<\/h2><\/div>
22 E-Busway \u2014 22 artists<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Antipodos<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Apesanteur<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Artistic Shop Signs<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
BLKNTRNTL<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Cavernes, volcans et sables mouvants\u00a0\u00a0<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
\u00c9loge du d\u00e9placement<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
\u00c9pilogue sylvestre (Terminus for\u00eat \u2013 Retour aux for\u00eats).<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Glaner les germes<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Le train fant\u00f4me<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Le va-et-vient des pierres \u00e9lectriques<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Les Jardins Mobiles<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Les Nids<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Private tour guide
October 6th<\/sup> 2025 \u2014 December 31st<\/sup> 2026<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Recyclage<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Terre en chantier<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Terres, le Muscadet du Voyage<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Trouver les \u00e9gards 2024<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Voci della strada<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Canoe Kayak on the rivers S\u00e8vre and Maine<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Discover Nantes\u2019 vineyards<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
For a luncheon on the grass…\u00a0<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Locapino<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Nantes-Brest Canal<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
S\u00e8vre Nantaise river<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
V\u00e9loc\u2019Ouest<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Visit with a Nantes resident<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div>
22 E-Busway \u2014 22 artists<\/a>Antipodos<\/a>Apesanteur<\/a>Artistic Shop Signs<\/a>BLKNTRNTL<\/a>Cavernes, volcans et sables mouvants\u00a0\u00a0<\/a>\u00c9loge du d\u00e9placement<\/a>\u00c9pilogue sylvestre (Terminus for\u00eat \u2013 Retour aux for\u00eats).<\/a>Glaner les germes<\/a>Le train fant\u00f4me<\/a>Le va-et-vient des pierres \u00e9lectriques<\/a>Les Jardins Mobiles<\/a>Les Nids<\/a>Private tour guide<\/a>Recyclage<\/a>Terre en chantier<\/a>Terres, le Muscadet du Voyage<\/a>Trouver les \u00e9gards 2024<\/a>Voci della strada<\/a>Canoe Kayak on the rivers S\u00e8vre and Maine<\/a>Discover Nantes\u2019 vineyards<\/a>For a luncheon on the grass…\u00a0<\/a>Locapino<\/a>Nantes-Brest Canal<\/a>S\u00e8vre Nantaise river<\/a>V\u00e9loc\u2019Ouest<\/a>Visit with a Nantes resident<\/a><\/div><\/section>\t
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Jardin Extraordinaire<\/h2>

The Jardin Extraordinaire is nestled in a former, abandoned granite quarry dolefully named (in English, anyway) \u201cla carri\u00e8re Mis\u00e9ry\u201d. From the 16th to the 20th century, it supplied stone for many of Nantes\u2019 construction projects. Extraction activities ceased in 1915, while the Brasseries de la Meuse brewery operated on part of the site from 1900 to 1985. After the brewery closed, the site was gradually dismantled and left as wasteland.
\nIn 2005, the City of Nantes acquired the 3.5-hectare (8.7-acre) plot. Its transformation began in 2019, with the public opening of the garden\u2019s western section, and finally extending to the eastern section in 2025.
\nWith its prominent waterfall and lush vegetation, which features over 200 plant species, the garden seeks to recreate the magical universe of Jules Verne\u2019s Extraordinary Voyages \u2014 and his descriptions in The Mysterious Island (1874) in particular.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\t\n\t