Sylvain Dubuisson - Vincent Barré - Aurore Dubuisson, Wall of Writings, Three-Terraced Garden, Water Path. Nordwalde Square

© vincent barré

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La Place de Nordwalde (from the name of the German twin town), is located on the edge of the hillside, just below the church and market square. It forms the second monumental group in the town with its three public buildings: the multimedia centre, the former presbytery now used for receptions and exhibitions, the former farmhouse to be used by the culture and communications offices. The buildings and architecture on the square were designed by Sylvain Dubuisson, with Vincent Barré for the public areas. The artworks: the engravings and sculpture were made possible thanks to a donation from the French Senate.

Mur des Écritures (Wall of Writings)
Down below, the central area forms a large square paved in a fan pattern, a network of pink sandstone paving. Three hornbeams, the emblem of Nordwalde, provide shade.
On the retaining walls of the Terrasse des Droits de l’Homme (the Human Rights Terrace) and the terraced gardens, fragments of texts in German, Italian, Spanish and French are engraved in the stone. They celebrate, in both their original language as well as in French translation, the philosophers and poets who worked for greater human dignity and equality: Hannah Arendt, Cesare Pavese, Federico Garcia Lorca and René Char.
"Dans nos ténèbres, il n'y a pas une place pour la beauté. Toute la place est pour la beauté.” (Feuillets d'Hypnose, René Char)
“In the depths of our darkness, there is no one place for beauty. The whole place is for beauty.” (Leaves of Hypnos, René Char)

Jardin à 3 Terrasses (Three-Terraced Garden)
The stepped gardens use the naturally sloping terrain along Ruelle St. Loup. From a black boundary stone at the top, a thin stream of water flows down in stages along a blue granite bed. The three terraces form a belvedere over the square and are planted with Mediterranean plants and shrubs such as Judas trees, tamarisk, phlomis, cistus.

Sculpture: ‘chemin d’eau’ (water path)
This sculpture by Vincent Barré has been installed under the handsome lime tree in the corner of the square. Nine cast iron elements flow in a long curved line. They are made from the same pattern and slot into each other, suggesting unity between the parts. The title evokes thought fluidly irrigating culture.

Contact: vincent.barre2@free.fr