BEE BE MON MANÈGE

Together, artists Caroline Mesquita and Laure Prouvost imagined a monumental, interactive sculpture to inhabit the Place du Chapitre, in dialogue with the existing fountain. Several hands are required to activate it, to give it life, and thus reveal its heart and multiple messages. Resulting from a genuine collaborative effort between the two artists, it combines Caroline Mesquita’s patinated brass characters with Laure Prouvost’s wordplay and glass bees, combining writing, sculpture, and urban installation. The artists also involved pupils from the kindergarten whose playground overlooks the Place du Chapitre The result is a life-size playing field, a reinvented wheel of fortune, an open-air ballet orchestrated by passers-by of all ages. The work, conceived as a meeting and exchange point, evokes the scene of a demonstration. It depicts three characters who usually populate the square: a bee, a bird and a human being. They hold up a sign in a gesture of proclamation. Beyond its playful aspect, it opens up a reflection on the expression of today’s youth demands, and sculptural representations in the public space.