Description
“The imagination around the path of water structures the design of the furniture: they are porous. They never hold back or obstruct the path of water. She crosses them all and walks everywhere freely. They are also crossed by air and light, by the gaze, by vegetation... The furniture does not undergo any treatment. The wood will turn gray and take on silvery reflections; the steel will oxidize. The furniture will gradually blend into the context. » Eric BENQUE
The furniturePlatform at the start of the ascent of Mont Gerbier-de-Jonc
The collection of furniture designed by designer Eric Benqué for the artistic journey is in itself an element of identification of the project: it welcomes the visitor, embodies and affirms the attention paid to him. The collection is available in three different types of furniture – benches, platforms and viewpoint shelters – which offer a unique physical discovery of the landscape.
Viewpoint shelter at the Croix de Peccata
Around ten pieces are installed along the route, naturally accompanying the hike from one work to another. Eric Benqué worked with chestnut wood, recognized for its resistance to extreme climatic conditions, thus showing that this local species is a resource of the future.
Production: 2016-2018. Antouly Company (Les Ollières-sur-Eyrieux)
Where to find them?
Each site hosting furniture offers an exceptional view of the landscape, changing with the seasons. From north to south, we find them at Mont Mézenc (viewpoint shelter at the Croix de Peccata; platform at the Croix de Boutières), at the Chartreuse de Bonnefoy, at the foot of Mont Gerbier-de-Jonc (platform at the start of the ascent path and bench near the true source of the Loire),…
Bench near the real spring, at Mont Gerbier-de-Jonc
…on the gentle Gerbier-Bourlatier connection at the foot of the Suc des Coux, at the Resliades rock on the access path to the Gloria Friedmann Lighthouse and to Pra Clauzel overlooking Saint Laurent les Bains Laval d'Aurelle.
Platform and landscape targets at Pra Clauzel
Eric Benque
Éric Benqué is a graduate of the National School of Industrial Creation, auditor of the College of Advanced Studies in Environment and Sustainable Development and 2013 winner of the Prize for the Intelligence of the Hand from the Bettencourt-Schueller Foundation.
His work is varied. Luxurious creations rub shoulders with collaborations with artisans in Burgundy, India or Mali, public markets alternate with more ephemeral projects. Each time, however, the question of adequacy to the context, the position of humans in this context and in the world is raised. His regular collaborations with architects nourish his practice and allow him to develop particular attention to the truly spatial dimension of the design project.
Chestnut wood
Spontaneous, vigorous, naturally resistant because it is rich in tannin, chestnut wood has many uses. It is used in particular for frames, parquetry, joinery, stakes, wood energy and crushing. However, today it is undervalued: in Ardèche, only 1% of the natural annual growth of chestnut forests is commercialized. There is therefore real potential locally for the development of a quality sector around chestnut wood. The growing demand for this species today reinforces the economic interest in the forestry development of the chestnut groves of the Monts d'Ardèche.
Opening
All year, every day.
Prices
| Free access. |
Location