« The Eye of Guénolé », by Véronique Matteudi

Description
complète

This is the story of a brother and a sister, a goose and an angel. The eyes of all the protagonists are reflected today in the Saint-Guénolé fountain. Enter into the heart of this legend thanks to the sculpture by Véronique Matteudi.

The Imaginary « Ribin »

The Imaginary : DNA of our territory: legends and stories of all kinds

« Ribin » : Small path in Breton language

Between land and sea, inhabitants and visitors of the Côte des Légendes can discover works of art along the hiking trails since 2019! The Imaginary « Ribin » reinvent the legends of our territories and offer hikers a true artistic path. An original opportunity to discover the local heritage by stretching your mind and legs! Thanks to a participatory selection process bringing together elected officials, artists and tourism professionals, two artistic projects are chosen each year. Through the creativity and originality of the selected works, the Imaginary « Ribin » is a marvelous illustration of the ambition and openness of the Côte des Légendes: promoting contemporary art in tune with the environment and the inhabitants, exporting the modern and playful look of artists outside the walls thanks to in situ installations.

The legend of the Saint-Guénolé fountain

According to the golden legend of Saint-Guénolé, Guénolé is one of the sons of Fragan (hence Frégant!), Who came from Great Britain to evangelize Armorica in the 5th century. One day, Clervie, Guénolé’s little sister, was having fun chasing wild geese around the paternal castle, when a goose pounced on her, tore out her eye and swallowed it. At the same time an angel appeared to his brother Guénolé telling him of the imminent danger. Guénolé rushed to his sister’s aid, grabbed the bird, split its stomach open, retrieved the eye and replaced it in his sister’s socket! With a simple but effective blessing Saint-Guénolé restored the use of his sight to his sister! The miracle happened, even the goose came to life!

The work « The Eye of Guénolé » by Véronique Matteudi

Made in salvaged copper, Véronique Matteudi’s work is inspired by the theme of vision: Clervie’s lost and rediscovered eye, but also the moment when Guénolé is visited by the angel; this vision which then allows him to go and save his sister. The visitor fully experiences the installation: he can enter it and discover a convex lens that distorts his vision and leads him to meditate on this distorted landscape. The artist used here the technique of soldering on copper. Over time, the material chosen will change from red to verdigris: the oxidation of the copper will allow the work to gradually blend into the landscape. The visitor will be able, from year to year, to follow this slow evolution where nature takes back its rights.

The artist Véronique Matteudi

Véronique Matteudi is a graduate of the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Grenoble and the Villa Arson in Nice. For the past twenty years, she has devoted herself mainly to sculpture and has participated in numerous events related to art and the environment. She creates mainly with plants, wild clematis (lianas), minerals or earth. Here, she appropriates the metal for. It is through an immersion in the reality of the landscape that creation becomes for her a vector of link and dialogue between man and nature.

The hike: « The flavors loop »

Take the time to enter the Oeil de Guénolé, along your 8 km hike (2h30), green markings. Hiking sheet available at the Tourism Côte des Légendes tourist information offices or at www.cotedeslegendes.bzh.