What better way to capture the spirit of the French city of Nantes than in a glass case that preserves the essence of things intact, and protects it from the most formidable of perils, namely time? As a sacred shrine (or casket), the glass “Châsse à Nantes” preserves nods to the history and intrinsic character of an exceptional port town.
The glass evokes the many waters of Nantes that stands at the confluence of the fresh Loire water and the salty Atlantic water. It evokes the prism effect of city lanes that developed around and upon a multitude of waterways. The installation was designed and created using noble materials and traditional stained-glass techniques that have stood the test of time (hand-blown glass from the workshop of Saint-Just, lead mounting and Tiffany).
The design of the installation, based on the perfect square, and its pure forms, evoke strength, the emblematic value of a port city that has always overcome profound political and societal crises and, against all odds, continued on its way, unshaken. I once was the abolition of slavery, which profoundly challenged Nantes’ socio-economic system in the 19th century, and more recently (in the 1980s), the closure of the shipyards and Nantes’ ambitious commitment to art, culture and the good life. It is to this challenge successfully met that we owe today's atmosphere of a cultural and dynamic city. The figure of the elephant that welcomed Anne de Bretagne to Nantes in the 15th century and that continues to enchant the streets of Nantes is a reminder of this solid and daring character.
La “Châsse à Nantes” is a showcase of light, a miniaturised reflection of the city's open and vibrant spirit.
It is also a celebration of all port towns of the world that have energised and enchanted societies of all times and regions.
