Views from "Pour dernier terrain vague" solo show ,Abbaye Saint-Jean d'Orbestier, Les Sables d'Olonne, 2019
pictures (1-3-4) © Rebecca Fanuele

La Chute (The Fall)
2019
coloured silicone, painted metal
360 × 180 × 500 cm (141,7 x 70,8 x 196,8 inches)

"Designed as a cascade whose waters can flow within the abbey itself without anyone being aware of their source, La Chute (The Fall) extends from the transept crossing down to the dirt floor of the nave. Crafted from a series of silicone moulds in various shades of colour-impregnated turquoise, using several sand imprints from the tidal flat, it works as a reminder of the sea not far away. 'Colour,' says Thomas Tronel-Gauthier, 'is of particular interest to me when it is linked to material in order to produce meaning'. As such, the translucent luminous character of La Chute finds its artistic legitimacy in the actual purpose of the suggested object and is instrumental in emphasizing both the dynamics of the cascading water and the sound characteristic of the idea of a waterfall. In complete contrast to the other pieces in terms of form, colour and material, there is a sense of iteration and a clear tonal quality at work here, animating – in the primary sense of the word – the space, namely giving it the appearance of life." (Philippe Piguet)