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St Piran & Other Celtic Saints... In Granite

rynner2

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Cornish granite giant to set sail for saints valley in Brittany

Carving a giant granite statue of St Piran, transporting it from Mabe to Falmouth by traction engine then having rowers haul it through town before it sets sail for Brittany aboard an old fishing vessel.

This may sound bizarre, but its the dream of two Mabe-based sculptors who are working to raise the profile of traditional Cornish granite while improving cultural ties between Cornish and Bretons.

Cornishman David Paton and Breton Stéphane Rouget have been commissioned to create a sculpture for the Vallée des Saints, a project which aims to bring together statues of 1,000 Breton saints while showing off and encouraging traditional granite working techniques.

As part of the project's tenth anniversary, the founders are aiming to forge closer ties with other Celtic nations by having sculptors from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Cornwall create pieces which will be shipped across the Channel aboard La Nébuleuse, an historic tuna fishing boat before being mounted on a Breton granite base at the park.

David was told about the project while doing a workshop in Helston, and mentioned it to Stéphane - who is originally from St Brieuc, an hour from the Vallée des Saints - and they decided to put themselves forward.

Stéphane said: "I knew the language, I knew what they wanted, we knew what we wanted. It was a no brainer."

David added: "We have known each other through the quarry for three years, it just seemed a really good opportunity to work together.

Then it was a matter of... getting the design done, and approving the design. At the moment we've nearly finished the clay maquette, which we'll work from for the sculpture."

The carving will begin in earnest during Cornwall Open Studios in May, when the public will be able to see the sculptors at work at Trenoweth Quarry, where they have been given space to work by quarry operator Tim Marsh, who has also sold them his "best slab of granite."

David said: "The thing that we're really interested in is the public engagement side of the project.

"There is great publicity on the French side for the sculptors, and the workshops are open to the public, and we're really keen for that to happen here.

"We want people to engage with the process of quarrying granite, the quarry, and the heritage of granite in Cornwall."

Stéphane added: "The reason the Vallée des Saints was begun was an idea to create something peculiar and Breton, but at the same time making sure the quarries in Brittany are used properly. Some of them have been making gravel, some of the granite is very good quality but they have to wreck it to make a living."

The plan is to create a 3.2 metre sculpture, which will later have a separate 'millstone' piece - traditionally associated with St Piran - lowered over its head.
The plan is to have the sculpture ready by October, before it is taken from Mabe to Falmouth and put in "a public place" for six months, ahead of its journey to France in 2018.

In Brittany the work will be transported by boat, then steam train, and finally by shire horses, and David said he would like "a big event" before the sculpture embarks: "It might be pulled through Falmouth by heavy horse, or gig rowers. We don't know as yet."

Stephane said he would like to do something "quite visually amazing," and to "very much emphasise the social aspect of it."

The sculpture will be the 100th to arrive at the park, in its tenth anniversary, and David said: "There will be a lot of people waiting for St Piran in Brittany. We want to do something spectacular for it."

http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/new...for_saints_valley_in_Brittany/?ref=mrb&lp=34#

Some photos of La Vallée des Saints:
 
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