Every time we come to Provence, we schedule a day for fun with cousin Annick who lives in Rognes, about 1 hour south of Sablet. She always comes up with new places or activities for us to experience such as walking around Lacoste, climbing Mont St. Victoire, visiting the Le Panier quarter in Marseille, to name a few.
Today she proposed that we take a two-hour Art and Architecture walk at Chateau La Coste in Le Puy-Sainte-Reparade, a short distance from Rognes. The day was coolish, but the bright sunshine and blue sky made her proposal sounded very attractive for a day in Provence in time of COVID.
Chateau La Coste is a 600 acre organic winery and art center in Le Puy-Sainte-Reparade. The vineyard is owned by Patrick McKillen, an Irish art collector who has created a center dedicated to wine, art & architecture.
Chateau La Coste includes luxury hotel Villa La Coste which include 28 suites, and 4 restaurants including Helene Darroze at Villa La Coste and Argentin Restaurant by Francis Mallman. While the restaurants are pricey, it costs only 15 Euros to walk the property.
They said it takes about 2 hours to walk the Promenade d'Art & Architecture, a collection of about 40 art installations, mostly sculptures. It took us over 3 hours to visit the site. Below, there are picture of a few of the installations that I particularly liked.
The spider below was created and installed at Chateau La Coste two days before the death of the artist. She said the spider was an ode to her mother. "She was my best friend. Spiders help and protect us, just as my mother did for me."
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| Crouching Spider by Louise Bourgeois |
After research, the artist chose to use slate from Donegal for the bridge below in the north of Ireland for two main reasons; first because it has naturally horizontal lines, and second, because the stone is made up of iron and copper, which makes it oxidize so that with age and weather it develops red and orange tints of rust.
The work below is made up of more than 1000 tons of limestone in grey, blue and red extracted from a quarry in Portugal. The artist deliberately chose to leave the marks and dents of extraction from the quarry.
In the piece below, scales made of cast iron are suspended in an archway made of stone from nearby Rognes. The piece also include natural magnets from China.
The Oak Room below is integrated into an old stone wall and is composed of oak trees grown in Burgundy and transported to Chateau La Coste. After removing the bark, the artist interwined the oak trunks to create a circular form. The trunks were replaced by smaller branches and then twigs to create the ceiling. Approximately 1200 pieces were used to create this structure. The work does not require extra material to support its shape.
In the piece below, 19 tetrahedra are arranged together to form a sphere.
The installation below links an ancient Roman pathway to its modern counterpart and it is steeped in historical references. The path follows the contours of an ancient Chinese object, the Ruyi. The paving stones were taken from the Marseille port.
The title of the piece below is a Japanese term which expresses how "rays of light filter through trees". This piece is made from ipe, a dense South American wood also known as Brazilian walnut. 1.5 tons of stainless steel support 12 tons of wood and the complex structure is made from 239 beams, ranging from 1.5 to 11.5 meters long.
Originally, the chapel below was a small place of worship for the local inhabitants of this countryside. The original structure dating back to 16th century was devoted to Saint Gilles and was notably a place of passage for pilgrims in route to Santiago de Compostela in North-western Spain. The artist restored the chapel and a framework composed of steel and glass now wraps around it.
The vibrant red of the red cross is reminiscent of the color of wine produced by neighboring vineyards. Paired with the transformable nature of glass as a material the color of the cross makes reference to transubstantiation, the belief that the wine is transformed into the blood of Christ during Catholic mass. The glass globes which make up the cross are reminiscent of rosery beads.
There are 7 foxes in the piece below. They are stopped in their tracks on the small hill and appear to be hunting for something. Although they may appear identical, there are slight differences between the figures. Each fox is unique; with a bigger muzzle, a lump on their back or a dent or bump in front.
In the piece below, there is a oak wine barrel at the end of the steel platform. Hidden inside is a porcelain kitten.
The aluminum and stainless steel work below toes the line between sculpture and and architecture. It is an interactive work, you can slide the panels, changing your perspective from inside to outside according to the position from which you look.
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| Multiplied Resistance Screened by Liam Gillick |
When pushed, the piece below, the interior mechanism allows Drop to spin, tilt, rise and fall and glide horizontally and eventually return to equilibrium. The work received its name from its levitating shape and its material, polished stainless steel which when moving seems fluid and light.
The Pavillon de Musique below was created in partnership with the Serpentine Gallery in London. It was exhibited there before being permanently installed in its current location. Shirley followed their suggestion to try singing to test out the acoustics for herself.
The mobile-stabile below was the first work acquired by Chateau La Coste. It is one of the few works here that wasn't specifically made for the domain and was among the last last mobile stabiles released by Calder.
Our walk-around the Promenade d'Art & Architecture would be wonderful any time of the year, it was particularly pleasant way to spend a day in the time of the Coronavirus. Please note, make sure you take care of any toileting before you depart as there are none along the promenade.
Chateau La Coste
2750 Route de la Cride
13610 Le Puy Sainte Reparade
France
www.chateau-la-coste.com
Tel: +33442618998
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