Concrete coral
Neptune’s Brain is the name given to a Coral whose shape and structure resemble a brain. This is also the title given by Jeremy Gobe to the work he is presenting on the forecourt of La Défense as part of the Extatiques contemporary art festival.
It was in this context that the artist entrusted the creation of this monumental piece in sculpted concrete to Rondebosse.
A real challenge for a first collaboration, with the aim of creating a work with multiple constraints, in a highly visible public space.
Big challenge, big pressure
Jeremy Gobe is a visual artist whose work revolves around the environment, through sculptures in different materials that he invents and patents. For this work, he decided to use a concrete with high environmental capabilities developed with the Weber company. We had to carry out a number of technical trials and various combinations of compatible materials, to take into account the constraints of the project. This was an essential stage in the process, enabling us to validate the durability of his work and ensure that it remained true to its original intent.
Jeremy was present throughout the project and played an active part in determining the final texture and organic rendering of the coral.
Presented on the forecourt of La Défense in Paris, the shotcrete work represents both a technical and logistical challenge to meet the site’s complex specifications. The work had to be designed in several parts so that it could be transported and installed on site: for easier transportation, but also so that it could be transported on the relatively fragile ground of La Défense. These aspects provided the starting point for the design.
This problem, a major one in the case of a shotcrete structure, had to be deconstructed and solved to ensure the durability of the work.
At the same time, the Cerveau de Neptune was also an opportunity to use the low-environmental-impact concrete that Jeremy was developing in partnership with the manufacturer Weber, in order to validate its use and resistance as a sculpting material. The R&D aspect of the project is a formative one, enabling us to evolve our use of materials and to play a positive role in the current awareness of the ecological impact of concrete.
Despite all these preparatory stages, and the recommendations made when designing the prototypes and costing the project, we started production of the work behind schedule.
Due to unforeseen circumstances in the general organization of the festival, production of the work got off to a flying start a few weeks before the opening to the public. One worrying point concerned the drying time of the concrete and the patina to be applied after sculpture. In the face of general stress, a cool head was needed to bring the construction to completion and meet the specifications.
The help and support of the Art Project workshop in Lyon was essential in designing the assembly and manoeuvring the elements to La Défense. Endless days of projection, sculpting and patination meant that the work was delivered on time, ready to be viewed by passers-by.
Teamwork and outstanding collaborators. Many thanks to: Jeremy, Nadège, and the whole ArtProject team.
Not long ago, I was interviewed at the Gare de Nantes by a local journalist. The journalist asked me how to best describe my contribution to the concrete tree sculpture; as an artist or an artisan? Normally, this type of question would have left me speechless, had I not thankfully prepared a very polite, very vague answer:
“we are a bit of both”