2024 / LE GRAND ROCHER
Permanent monumental sculpture
Public commission, Les Murmures du temps, Val des Chenevières, L’Arbresle
Sculpted mortar, concrete, steel, bronze, earth, plants
Dimensions 9x9x7m
Le grand rocher is a work imagined specifically for the Val des Chenevières site. Shaped by centuries of extreme weather conditions, nature here has experienced events that have left their mark on the memory of the local inhabitants; the Brévenne and Turdine rivers have repeatedly overflowed their banks, wreaking terrible havoc on the communes of the Pays de L’Arbresle. In the midst of this environment, Laurent Pernot has created a series of sculptures that resemble a great rock monument, whose appearance reflects the region’s geological wealth, and whose silhouette, suggesting erosion by the waters, manifests an undeniable fragility. Around the river, the artist set out to transcribe the floods that have marked the region, while also addressing the broader notion of metamorphosis in nature. At the top of the central piece, the presence of a child and natural vegetation evokes human vulnerability in the face of a changing world; the youthful figure symbolizes the hope of renewal held out by new generations.
Direction, production: Les Murmures du temps
Project team: Maison Gutenberg, École urbaine de Lyon, Looking For Architecture, Terra Publica
Artistic committee: Lauranne Germond, Paul Ardenne, Pascal Yonet, Michel Griscelli, Bastien Joussaume
Bronze foundry: Art Casting Belgium
Large rock sculpture: Atelier Deshommes
Structural engineers: Bollinger Grohmann
Metalwork: CIMAC
Vegetation: Primevere Paysagisme
Foundations : J.Bastion
Commission: Communauté de Communes du Pays de L’Arbresle
Thanks : L’Amicale des Sapeurs Pompiers d’Eveux