Monumental

MONUMENTAL

The monumental works are special to me as they are the result of a long term process in collaboration with architects, high school principals and government officials, and of course the size of the projects involved months of labour.

The 50 tons of concrete used for the Memorial to Jean Moulin commissioned by the French government required optimum care for the construction and the finishing coat.

The two metal sculptures for high schools were welcomed by the students and staff with enthusiasm : both "Galaxy" and "Blue Blazes" are part of the school daily life and have become gathering places.

These sculptures all share a clear stylistic trait :

the use of space liberates the eye to travel through the solid shapes and encourages the exploration of their different facets.

Their size is not overbearing (between 12 and 20 ft high) and I chose the material to fulfill the specific requirements for each creation : concrete can be coloured in its mass or sandblasted, washed or stuccoed with auto-cleaning white cement, but it often necessitates a complicated formwork.

The welded iron sculptures can be more intricate and coloured. They receive multi-protection epoxy coats of paint.

Stainless steel, aluminium, and glass are also candidates for outdoor sculptures : I can imagine wall constructions which would provide a mineral sculptural environment as a refuge for vegetation.

Blue Blazes

1995 - Iron 13 ft - Blaise Pascal High School

Chateauroux 36