‘Le Palais Idéal. Building Dreams’
In summer 2024 I visited the south of France. Travelling in the northern Rhône valley, along the road from Lyon to Hauterives, the landscape is flat, homogenous and sparsely populated, making one feel as though one were alone on a contemplative journey. However, there are numerous tributaries and canals that have made the valley a strategic transit point not only for goods but also for ideas and culture. Here, on a wide plain surrounded by high grounds, stands Le Palais Idéal. Its contradictions and ambivalences - being primitive yet complex, poor yet rich, natural yet artificial, naive yet extremely grounded - make this work universal and a source of inspiration for anyone who comes to Hauterives.
In summer 2024 I visited the south of France. Travelling in the northern Rhône valley, along the road from Lyon to Hauterives, the landscape is flat, homogenous and sparsely populated, making one feel as though one were alone on a contemplative journey. However, there are numerous tributaries and canals that have made the valley a strategic transit point not only for goods but also for ideas and culture. Here, on a wide plain surrounded by high grounds, stands Le Palais Idéal. Its contradictions and ambivalences - being primitive yet complex, poor yet rich, natural yet artificial, naive yet extremely grounded - make this work universal and a source of inspiration for anyone who comes to Hauterives.
Essay, The Plant Magazine 21, 2024
research, writing
images by Simone Marcolin
research, writing
images by Simone Marcolin