In Celtic mythology, the Other World is the world of divinities and the place of knowledge. Access is always by water: by crossing a river, going to a fountain, or taking to the sea. It is populated by various characters, such as the salmon of knowledge, the only being capable of crossing both fresh and salt water.
Tombolo or the Other world is a project designed for the Landes de Ploumanac'h site in Perros-Guirec, Brittany. The project revives a Celtic mythological tale through a number of interventions: an installation on the customs path, a sound trail, a walk led by coast guards and mediation objects, a tale, a scenography and a tide clock.
In the Other World, centuries shape the rocks and accumulate the wisdom of time. Nature's slow mutations have sketched out a unique landscape that struggles to adapt to hectic human activity.
by Marie Le Scanve, lifeguard at the Maison du littoral des Landes de Ploumanac'h.
In the Other World, each place name reveals secrets to the walker. Beneath the surface of words lies a palette of nuances that make the place so rich. For those who know how to speak it, the language both designates and contains treasures of life and stories. by Stéphanie Stoll, resident of Ploumanac'h and Breton speaker.
In the Other World, flora and fauna are the inhabitants' non-human neighbors. Children get to know them very early on. Adults may sometimes quarrel with these wild neighbors, but they always protect them. Because life depends on it.
by Marie-Annick Guillou, resident of Ploumanac'h.
In the Other World, live the inhabitants of times. They are happy with the anecdotes of everyday life and the legends of ancient times. Flirting with myths and realities, they give life places a unique patina of stories, both funny and sometimes tragic.
by Yvon Tilly, resident of Ploumanac'h.
In the Other World, creatures are the parts of a delicate mechanism. Each species relies on the cog that precedes it and supports the one that follows. This secret clockwork has always protected itself from scratches. But for how much longer?
by Pascal Provost, curator of the Sept-Îles national nature reserve for the League for the Protection of Birds.
In the Other World, the sky is one with the surface of the water. To maintain its secrecy, the Otherworld uses the water as a mirror, reflecting the sky to human eyes. To unlock the secrets of the Otherworld, you have to get wet...
by Jean-François Joly, scubadiver.
In the Other World, the seabed is an immense garden. Creatures cultivate it, trees grow and form forests where clever fountains hide. There are paths, hiding places, houses and windows through which to observe this discreet yet hectic life.
by Helène Le Quéau, scubadiver.
In the Other World, water holds its own. Between epiphany and terror, the fishermen face the bay with wise humility.
by Mathieu Monchoix, fisherman.
In the Other World, festivals celebrate ancestral history, joyful habits and pious beliefs. Sometimes spiritual, often ritualistic, ceremonies in this country mark the great moments of a lifetime.
by Josette Le Guluch, resident of Ploumanac'h.
In the Other World, architecture is structured by the landscape. Homes, workplaces, meeting places and leisure facilities are all adapted to the physiognomy of rocks, moors, beaches, rivers and forests. We build with the landscape, never against it...
by Michèle Le Bourg, resident of Ploumanac'h.
by Marielle Brie, author of the tale Tombolo
As part of the Tombolo or the Other world project, an activity devised in collaboration with the rangers at the Maison du littoral in Ploumanac'h: the Other World walk. Lasting around 2 hours, the narrative is based on the Tombolo tale, and is punctuated by several stops where the guide uses specially-designed mediation objects, such as the animal perception goggles, the seabed cane, the chimera volvelle and the rock ladder.
When the mediation objects are not in use, they are displayed in a showcase in the Maison du littoral. The sound trail is accessible via QR code in the Maison du littoral and on a printed edition.
The installation features a tide clock. This is a reinterpretation of a tide indicator. The wooden object, sculpted by Gaël Le Thellec, shows which species are visible at which tide.
The installation ends with a representation of the Fountain of Knowledge, in the form of a cobbled path surrounded by oak and hazelnut trees.
Tombolo or the Other world
is a project initiated by Isabelle Daëron, associated with Studio Idaë, a design studio involved in projects relating to water and public space, the LAB/Libre Artbître association, a non-profit organization working to maintain and develop arts and crafts in Brittany, and art historian Marielle Brie. It was produced as part of the Mondes Nouveaux program run by the French Ministry of Culture.
Thanks to: Thanks to the Mondes Nouveaux program and in particular to Caroline Naphegyi, the Conservatoire du littoral and its Rivages Bretagne delegation, and the Mairie de Perros-Guirec,
Thanks to all those who took part in the interviews: Louis Brigand, Marie-Annick Guillou, Jean-François Joly, Samuel Jouon, Gaëtan Kerdudo, Ronan Le Lous, Mathieu Monchoix, Michèle Le Bourg, Josette Le Guluch, Quentin Le Hervé, Marie Le Scanve, Helène Le Quéau, Pascal Provost, Stéphanie Stoll, Yvon Tilly;
Thanks to the craftsmen: Pascal Harnois, Gaël Le Thellec, Xavier Bonsergent who made the wooden objects
Thanks to: Thanks to the Mondes Nouveaux program and in particular to Caroline Naphegyi, the Conservatoire du littoral and its Rivages Bretagne delegation, and the Mairie de Perros-Guirec,
Thanks to all those who took part in the interviews: Louis Brigand, Marie-Annick Guillou, Jean-François Joly, Samuel Jouon, Gaëtan Kerdudo, Ronan Le Lous, Mathieu Monchoix, Michèle Le Bourg, Josette Le Guluch, Quentin Le Hervé, Marie Le Scanve, Helène Le Quéau, Pascal Provost, Stéphanie Stoll, Yvon Tilly;
Thanks to the craftsmen: Pascal Harnois, Gaël Le Thellec, Xavier Bonsergent who made the wooden objects
