Description
complète
Visible from the hiking trail in Kernilis, this monumental artwork is inspired by the legend of the Ghost of Carman. It echoes the ruins of the vanished castle where Goulc’hen spent a night facing a specter condemned to wander for centuries. Through its open and vertical structure, the sculpture connects the memory of the place, the surrounding landscape, and local storytelling.
The legend of the Ghost of Carman
Long ago, the Castle of Carman overlooked the Aber Wrac’h and the Diouris before falling into ruin. Its two abandoned towers were said to be haunted, and local people carefully avoided the site. Yet a young man from Guissény named Goulc’hen decided to spend a night there to challenge the ghosts everyone talked about. Sitting by the fireplace making crêpes, he heard a voice ask: “Shall I fall or shall I not fall?” Each time Goulc’hen answered, a body part fell down the chimney: first the legs, then the arms, until a whole body reassembled before him.
The specter revealed that he had once been the steward of the Marquis of Carman and had been condemned to return to the tower every night for hiding stolen gold. He asked the young man to recover three pots filled with gold coins: two were to be returned to the heirs of the castle, while the third would reward Goulc’hen for his courage. Goulc’hen completed the task and became wealthy, without ever feeling fear during that strange night. But sometime later, a simple mouse jumping out of a pastès finally made him leap in fright. He later found love with the farmer’s daughter who had invited him to share the meal.
Legend written by Sandrine Pierrefeu in Contes Léonards de la Côte des Légendes.
Michael Chauvel’s project
Inspired by the ruins of the Castle of Carman, this monumental sculpture takes the form of an openwork tower made of cubic steel modules. Its open structure reveals a central void crossed by light and the viewer’s gaze, like a chimney rising toward the sky. As the structure rises, the cubes gradually fragment, giving the whole piece a sense of movement and lightness. Installed in the heart of the Valley of the Mills, the artwork interacts with its surroundings without concealing them and invites visitors to look up, slow down, and experience the site differently. Over time, the steel will naturally evolve with the seasons and weather.
The artist Michael Chauvel
The artist creates sculptures inspired by the landscapes and places in which they are installed. His work combines geometric forms, materials, and environment to reveal natural or heritage sites in a different way. Through structures composed of repeated modules, he plays with accumulation, height, and light to create artworks that interact with the landscape around them.
The site: the Carman valley
Nestled in the inland area of the Côte des Légendes, Kernilis is crossed by the Aber Wrac’h, a coastal river linking wetlands, valleys, and farmland. The artwork is installed in the Carman Valley, also known as the Valley of the Mills, where several watermills once stood along the river. It is also on the nearby hill that the Castle of Carman once stood, though no trace of it remains today.
Today, the waters of the Aber Wrac’h flow to the pumping station of the Syndicat des Eaux du Bas-Léon, located in Kernilis. This network plays an essential role in preserving water resources and supplies drinking water to more than 90,000 inhabitants across the region.
