PONT DU G'ART 2023
From 22 to 26 June, the Pont du Gard site will be exhibiting the artistic works by local nursery and primary school pupils. A great way to showcase the work and creativity of our budding young artists!
Exhibition and monumental video mapping
"Turn the clocks...” Around forty classes from local schools present their artworks in collaboration with Elsa Huet, the illustrator from Bagnols
The 8th edition of this artistic, poetic, cultural, heritage and civic adventure is proposed by the National Education districts of Remoulins and Nîmes 3 - Marguerittes, with the support of the Arts and Culture Mission of the Departmental Directorate of National Education Services of the Gard, the project’s theme this year is "Turn the clocks...".
The clock face, the hands that turn, the tic-toc of the mechanism, the wrist watch... so many old or revisited objects that serve to mark the major and routine moments of our lives with precision. These time pieces are the results of scientific and technical knowledge, craftsmanship and creation. These ingenious, incredible and sometimes magical objects have enabled people to situate themselves and better understand, and even accept, the passing of time...
So the creations of these school children are all about the exploration of forms, movement, and cycles... thoughts about the passing of time, how it escapes us, how it seems to suddenly stop or just gets lost.
For the third year running an illustrator has been associated with the project through a digital residency, this year it is Elsa Huet. She studied art at the Marseilles school of fine art, has illustrated many children's books and co-directed a number of animated films.
She use many different artistic techniques such as engraving, collage, inks and painting, her art is full of subtleties where lines and colours combine plants and animals as a way to tell deeply poetic almost dreamlike stories, fairy-tales that all have a message to convey.
She and the classes will present the fruit of their research on the theme in June.
Extract from her bibliography:
Petitou et les animaux, éd. Points de suspension, 2022.
Jean de l’Ours, éd. du Cabardès, 2020.
Colorie l’antiquité, éd. du Cabardès, 2020.
Quand Papi René, éd. Points de suspension, 2015.
Biquette et les choux, éd. L’âne bâté, 2013.
Fatacumba et autres contes de Mauritanie, éd. Grandir, 2012.
Contes de Provence, texte Rémy Salamon, éd. Grandir, 2012.
La petite fille du tableau, éd. Kaléidoscope, 2011.
Arbre, mon ami, éd. Grandir, 2009.
Gong Zhu : la petite fille pressée de grandir, éd. Points de suspension, 2009.
A strong local grounding in an exceptional setting
Beyond the institutional aspects on which this project is based, its strong grounding with local heritage gives it a genuine sense of identity. The Pont du Gard site provides an exceptional venue for the presentation of the fruits of the project in the Left Bank Building including works by schoolchildren aged between 3 and 11 years.
The exhibition will again last 5 days allowing classes, families and visitors to discover the scenography that has been developed to showcase the work of the schoolchildren.
For the third year, every evening will include a video mapping performance on the monument projecting works by the school children and the project’s associate artist, Elsa Huet. An unusual and much anticipated nightfall experience in front of the Roman monument!
Opening the way to culture and creativity
The Pont du Gard Site is very proud to support this educational, artistic and cultural project and host the final exhibition. This project is a well-established part of the Site's event calendar which has become an essential annual event, through which schoolchildren can learn to understand and participate in the creative process as a whole, from research to idea and implementation, and finalising that process with genuine artistic creation. The aim is to provide as many people as possible with access to culture and raise awareness among people who may have less contact with artistic practices in their daily lives.
The final stage of the process, having discovered the creative process, is to visit the site, where the schoolchildren not only discover the public display of their own works but also come into contact with a deeply historical heritage site that offers cultural spaces designed to encourage learning in various fields. This is a first step into the world of culture that will undoubtedly give these young artists the desire to return with their families so that they can see their work or the projections of it on the monument, and perhaps maybe to then go on and adopt regular cultural activities.
Practical information:
Exhibition: 22 to 26 June 2023, in the left bank Atrium
Video mapping projection: 22 to 26 June 2023, 10.30 pm to 11.30 pm
Exhibition included in the entrance ticket to the educational areas (Museum, Cine, Ludo, Expo).
Free for under 18s