At the request of Isabelle de Beaufort, we have created a stage set for
her “Neige de Culture” project on the Serre-Chevalier ski slopes. The aim of
“Neige de Culture” is to provide themed cultural itineraries on subjects such
as the history of the Romans in the Alps or
from Vauban to Briançon. The stories that unfold during these itineraries are
underpinned by stage scenery elements such as huts, totem poles and
triangulation rocks. These are all unusual objects, and also identical in order
to create a specific identity that is easy to pick out in the landscape. They
constitute the landmarks that punctuate the different themed stages of the
itineraries and create a link between the cultural project and the landscape in
which they are embedded and embodied.
The huts are open structures, which suggest interiority whilst remaining
outdoor spaces that can be skied into and through. Each of them identifies a
stage of discovery and contains 3 totem poles or exhibition boards. The huts
are made of a succession of parallel multiply timber arches that generate an
organic structure. They all have the same shape, but their appearance varies
with their location. They mimic their environment, white at the top of the
slope, where snow dominates ; untreated larch closer to the forests. The
huts are light constructions which etch shadows in the snow. They look opaque
or transparent, depending on the angle of view.
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