The Elephant

We are now in Nantes, my hometown, there place where I was born, where went to school and from where I eventually left in 2002. My whole family still lives there. Even though the city hasn’t changed much, I like to see it again with different eyes…

Indeed, it has very different sides: today, I will show you its artsy one.

If you follow the Loire river from downtown, you will find a bridge that crosses to the “isle of Nantes”, a former shipyard turned into a leisure and cultural site. The place itself is quite scenic, with nice view on the Quai De La Fosse, the long street along the river.

The Isle is also the location of the Machine Of The Isle’s cultural and artistic project. The warehouse of the former shipyards in Nantes is the house of several artists who created huge “machines”, at the crossroad of the imaginary worlds of Jules Verne (who was from Nantes) and the mechanical genius of Da Vinci. The biggest project, the mechanical Elephant, is 12 meters high and 8 meters wide, made from 45 tons of wood and steel. It can take up to 49 passengers for a 45-minute walk!

A bit further, along the Loire and close to the Hangar À Bananes (a former warehouse where bananas from the French islands were stocked) are the Rings, a modern art project by Daniel Buren.

La Médiathèque (The Library)

Along The River - Quai De La Fosse

The Loire River

Les Chantiers De Nantes - The Old Shipyard

Vieux Vélo - Old Bicycle

Les Machines De l'Ile - The Isle Machines

Hangar Vide - Empty Warehouse

L'Elephant Endormi - Sleepy Elephant

Enfin Réveillé! - Awake, At Last!

Bateau Près De La Loire - Boats By The Loire River

Le Grand Elephant - The Big Elephant

Les Anneaux De Buren - The Buren Rings

Related Posts

1. Nantes’ Elephant
2. The Isle of Nantes
3. Nantes By Night
4. Europe in our Eyes
5. Historic Nantes