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From june 5th and until august 16th, the second edition of "Estuaire" takes place along the estuary of river Loire, from Nantes to Saint-Nazaire. "Estuaire" is a contemporary art exposure. The first edition took place in 2007, the third and last edition will take place in 2011. Here is one of the artworks you can see along the river : the "Villa cheminée" in Bouée, close to Cordemais electric plant. It is work of japonese artist Tatzu Nishi. It is one of the perennial artworks of the exposure, as Buren rings of Nantes or Suite of Triangles by Felice Varini in Saint-Nazaire were for 2007 edition. The small house top of the chimney can be rented for a night for 70 euros ! But I can imagine there is a lot of people waiting for vacancies !

Here is a description of this artwork from Estuaire official web site :

Under cover in one of the branch of the river, Cordemais’ port was the chosen site in 1970 to build the biggest thermal power station in France, a 100 ha “iron castle” on the banks of the river.

Japanese artist born in 1960, Tatzu Nishi likes to play with conventions, aesthetic conventions (beautiful vs. ugly). Alternatively named Tazro Niscino, Tatsuro Bashi, or Tatzu Oozu, he uses the same playful and mischievous attitude to swiftly re-contextualise familiar household objects or public monuments: an upside down lamp post becomes a kitchen “chandelier”, a cherub from Basel’s cathedral ends up on the coffee table of a living-room… and for Estuaire 2007, the fountain of Place Royale, the sculpture of Amphitrite allegorically representing Nantes surrounded by the Loire river and its tributaries, becomes the majestic set for a hotel room !

For Estuaire 2009, Tatzu Nishi produces his first perennial creation at Bouée (accessible via Cordemais). Referring to the imposing “iron castle”, he creates an identical copy of one of the tower of the power station: a 15m high tower on the riverbank. At its top, visitors will be able rest and enjoy the viewpoint in a little garden.

Visually stunning, Tatzu Nishi’s piece engages with our ability to imagine reality. It starts like a Jules Verne’s novel: where does this house come from? Are the power station’s chimneys copies of this relic?