Photo credit: © Genevieve Lauziere, used with permission with our sincere thanks.
Louis Chavignier's "Vaisseau Lunaire" sculpture is now located in Sherbrooke, Québec.
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This sculpture is called "Vaisseau Lunaire" and it was created especially for Expo 67 by artist Louis Chavignier. "The sculpture represents a boat, which inspired the piece’s name: Vaisseau Lunaire," writes Cité des Rivières official website. "The boat hull is made of stainless steel square tubing and the sail structure, of cylindrical tubing also in stainless steel. The sails are represented by stainless steel chains. It is a colossal piece, literally, measuring 22 feet long by 15 feet high by 3 feet wide, typical of lively art realised by several artists belonging to the Visual arts research group in Paris at the end of the 1960’s. "Originally, the piece was installed on the surface of the water, between the France and Québec pavilions [at Expo 67.] It was then a piece of lively art whose front to back movement, representing a ship rolling with the waves, was ensured by a driving mechanism made of various gears actuated by an electric motor. At the time of its first installation, the pitch of the ship ensured a back-and-forth movement of the sail creating a particular sound effect. Once the sculpture is installed on the surface of the water of the Nations’ Lake in Sherbrooke this sound effect will be assured by the wind engulfing in the sails. The piece is now static, its mechanism and electric motor have been removed because they were now obsolete." The sculpture was donated to the City of Sherbrooke by its owner Yves Robillard. For a larger detailed view of the sculpture, please click here. The root of the historical report from the Cité des Rivières can be viewed here. |
