Frédette Lampre

Imagine one day you're out for a walk in a city you live or you visit, and suddenly you came face to face with a giant minotaur.

He's half male, half bull.

His skin is made of wood.

He's walking, galloping, rearing up.

He opens and closes his blue eyes.

He breathes, he cries, he growls.

His arms can fend off traffic lights.

And now he's asleep in front of the city hall, and people, on their way to work, hear the creature snoring.

amazing, as tall as buildings.

The city is a stage for him, and people are immersed in his world.

Thirty years ago, my colleague, François de La Rozière, a designer, art performer, founded La Machine Company.

His aim?

To create large theater experiences in cities, how?

With huge animated machines.

Since then, François's extraordinary machines appeared in streets, boulevards, avenues, all over the world.

These machines have no practical function at all.

They tell stories for cities and their citizens, and they bring all communities together to create perhaps a new common ground.

In 2016, the French port of Calais commissioned us a permanent art project.

Two years later, the sea dragon appeared on the beach.

He has two giant red rings and a long blue tail.