Pays'Âges - Seven Islands tapestry-testimony

Seven Islands tapestry-testimony
47° 35’ 06’’ N - 2° 55’ 56’’ W
Baden, Brittany
View from 21/05/2022 at 12:30 pm
Scale 1/1000

Pays'Âges reveals the identity of endangered territories (rising waters, human footprint, disappearance of biodiversity, ...) from an unusual artistic angle : from the sky. This project, winner of the Mondes Nouveaux call, is supported by the French Ministry of Culture and the Coastal Conservatory.

Dorian Etienne creates several "tapestry-testimonies" in large format and volume, through this local and itinerant project. They present the singularities of the region, its topography and its biodiversity. They are made on site with local and natural materials (plant fibers, animal fibers, dye plants mainly invasive). These monumental works testify of a "state of the place" at this crucial moment of ecological disruption.

Pays'Âges is also a participative project: the inhabitants are invited to learn with the artist the techniques of tufting and plant dyeing, then to participate daily in the highlighting of their territory by the realization of the artwork.

These creations will be reproduced a few decades later. Exhibited alongside the first ones, the diptychs will artistically testify to the evolution of the region as well as to the ecological and societal issues at stake.

Before that, each "tapestry-testimony" is accompanied by a large-format print of the territory, projected in 50 years. This scenario is realized through the analysis of local evolution data, with the support of researchers and specialized organizations.

The Pays'Âges collection, growing year after year, will thus support the work of local structures in their mission of protection and enhancement of the environment, biodiversity and landscapes.

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Residency in the Kerplouz high school chapel (Auray)
28 local participants
1172 hours of work including 746 hours of tufting
22kg of local wool (Monts d'Arrée) = 77km of yarn
18 colored shades of Breton dye plants

Wool from the Monts d'Arrée, Breton-Norman linen, local dye plants (dyer's knotweed, madder, reseda, chestnut tree, rubarbe, ...)
Dimensions : 3950 x 2400 x 80 mm
Note: the materials used are natural, the plant colors and dimensions may change over time.