09. 100 ans de sommeil
Once upon a time, a magic spell was cast over Sleeping Beauty, sending her to sleep for a hundred years. The story tells us that she awoke thanks to a kiss from Prince Charming. But who is to say that she was waiting for a young man? This is an outdated vision that merits a contemporary shake-up. A hundred years of slumber is all the tale tells us, without revealing anything about this long period when she was sleeping, protected by the vegetation.
This interlude is the beginning of another story. Nature, so wonderfully nurturing and protective, prepares a transformation in the secret brambles surrounding Sleeping Beauty. The young woman feels, dreams and develops an altogether different, intuitive and sensual communication with her surroundings. She surely has access to the invisible realm. Away from prying eyes, she forges her character, drawing on a rich imagination that helps her grow: she thrives.
And the kiss that wakes her up? That is also something worth reconsidering! In keeping with this transformation, she wakes of her own accord, ready to face the real world thanks to this life behind the scenes from which she has drawn inspiration. Not being entirely at another’s mercy, but made strong by her own decisions! This story came about in the hollow of a tree, in a castle garden. Tucked away in the undergrowth, it is as if the tree is protected from the outside world. Visitors can take refuge there to reflect. Fairytales are experienced through changes of scale, through a combination of fact and fiction. Scenery and drawings unveil their playful sketches amidst the greenery.
Each of us can interpret this well-known story in our own way, or continue our musings.
DESIGNERS
After graduating in 1998, Mélanie Claude now lives and works between Paris and Angers on a variety of projects, in which scenography is at the heart of her sensitive approach to design. For more than 20 years, she has been staging living spaces, exhibitions and gardens, and showcasing dormant heritage. Her work draws on tools used in theatre to spark curiosity, the imagination and dreams. In 2013, she created a reconstruction of the Chauvet Cave, a project that turned her career upside down. She has designed a number of sets for “artistic” projects and staged Patrick Blanc's private collection. In 2003, she took part in the Chaumont-sur-Loire International Garden Festival for the “Mauvaises Herbes” edition. She created the first Observatoire des Tendances du Jardin garden at the Courson plant fair. She is now working on a personal project based on the world of plants. Born into the Turc family of horticulturists, she has been fascinated by gardens and plants ever since she was a child.
Annie Peltier studied at art school in Angers for five years, from 1979 to 1984. After 12 years as a set designer for animated films, she set up her own company, Vent Vif, where she designs and stages shows for children. She writes the stories, inspired by fairytales and always linked to nature. She creates in situ performances in the landscape, installations that mix visual art and poetic texts. She continues to work as a visual artist, contributing to set designs and installations with Scèn'Art, Lucie Lom and her drawing work.
