“Okay, Daddy, I have to go because we’re going to see the skeletons!”

Good thing that Feng is used to some level of French weirdness—I think he just said something like “have fun!” before hanging up.

We were going to see skeletons.

In fact, we were going to help Charon, the ferryman of the dead, carry souls across the Styx.

This is our new favourite nighttime activity.

A gigantic spinning wheel was set up on the Île de Nantes, close to the mechanical elephant. “At nighttime, skeletons come alive,” a handwritten sign said.

So we came back at 11 p.m. and discovered an eerie and fascinating scene—the massive wheel, clever lighting, and great music (can’t go wrong with Pink Floyd!).

Some man power was required, so we all helped. There were two sets of three ropes at both ends of the wheel and it required some coordination to get the wheel spinning at the correct speed… and reveal the skeleton animation that tells the story of Charon.

If you need a refresher on Greek mythology, Charon was the “ferryman of the dead,” carrying the souls of the newly deceased across the River Styx that divided the world of the living from the world of the dead.

This is the largest and tallest stroboscopic zoetrope—a pre-film animation device that produces the illusion of motion—and I found it particularly clever and impressive.

Peter Hudson, artist and creator of Charon, was here every night to set everything up. I had the chance to chat with him and I found him interesting as an artist and human being. I like the fact it takes collaboration—anyone can participate, you can spot Mark pulling in his red sweater pulling a rope in the pictures below—to make “Charon” work.

“Charon” is ending on Sunday in Nantes and heading to London next—don’t miss it if you’re around!