Jean-Bernard METAIS, Litany (2007). Place d'Armes, Valenciennes (France)

© jean-bernard metais

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Placed precisely at the former location of the city's belfry (an ancient 14th century edifice that collapsed in 1840), Métais' work is a 45-meter high arrow that marks the spot, regenerating an emblematic link to local history. The belfry, a lookout tower characteristic of northern French cities in the Middle Ages, was a meeting point where diverse crowds would gather daily to conduct business, debate rules and laws, and celebrate events… It was above all a neutral, open forum where people could come to share and discuss news.
To valorize the location of the Place des Armes, Métais designed a light yet stark structure: a giant needle that points to the sky. Aside from its formal function as a monumental landmark, the work also acts upon the square like a "rumor". The structure is filled with thousands of whispering voices, with words of local significance, secrets shared by people of the city and its surroundings.