In Saint-Thélo, in the “Côtes d’Armor”, Tadashi Kawamata has worked for 3 summers on former weavers’ houses doomed to destruction. Today they are the pride of the little town, transformed by a skilful and light wooden architecture.
Here, in Lavau-sur-Loire, the town is favourable to nature contemplation. Tadashi Kawamata has therefore imagined a small wooden path, slightly above the ground, going far in the marshes, floating on nature. Gradually, the path goes up in the middle of reed beds and comes on a wide platform: a 6-meter-high tower, great observatory, stands above the marshes. From progression to outcome, a new identity, an unpublished view point on the area is offered to everyone.

As usual, Kawamata has initiated a work with the people of the village as well as with students (architecture, visual-arts, “École supérieure du bois” (higher school of wood)) coming from France, Japan and elsewhere, thus creating a melting-pot essential to his creation process.

Tadashi Kawamata works all over the world to produce projects always in harmony with the chosen site: careful, physical and mental exploration of history, landscape, architecture, and also of lifestyles allows him to progressively decide on the kind of project. To build up his installations, most of the time Kawamata uses recovered materials (chairs, scaffolding) or timber. Cheap and easy to handle by anyone, they are synonymous of mobility and uncertainty. Cohabitating and sharing work with people of very different backgrounds are the furthermore founding principles of most of his works.