The context

The Regional Nature Parks of Lorraine, the Monts d'Ardèche, Pilat and Vercors have decided to carry out a collective reflection on the industrial history of their territories, its changes and ruptures, its impact on the landscapes and the daily lives of today's populations. Eight commissions for works were sent to four artists. Élisabeth Ballet has been invited to Ardèche and Pilat.

Located in a mid-mountain area, the former Communauté de communes d'Eyrieux-aux-Serres brought together ten rural communes until the end of 2013, before its merger into the Communauté d'agglomération Privas Centre Ardèche. Today, there are more than twenty abandoned mills and weaving workshops in this area and the question of their requalification is a recurring one. The Community of Municipalities wanted to conduct a reflection to raise awareness of the presence and transformation of this industrial landscape and to address the social dimension of textile work. In Saint-Sauveur-de-Montagut, the presence of the Moulinon on the banks of the Eyrieux River is a strong testimony to local labour history.

The commission

Elisabeth Ballet has transformed the former Issantouans station into a "listening room" on the other side of the river, opposite the factory. The shelter, painted blue, is preceded by a terrace with two concrete benches. Inside, a window was pierced to provide a front view of the Moulinon. A sound montage is broadcast in various locations. "The distance between the factory we will be admiring and the site itself will allow us to create an immaterial work. This work will be made up of the sounds of the river, the turbines and nature, which will blend with the machines and the voices of the plant's protagonists. These voices invite us to take the time to listen to the stories of the work accomplished, its price, its joys and its sorrows[...]" E. Ballet

Elisabeth Ballet

Born in 1957 in Cherbourg, Élisabeth Ballet lives and works in Paris. Her work is represented in many public collections and has been exhibited in France and Europe. She has exhibited in recent years at the Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology in Valence in 2011, at the Musée Bourdelle, Paris, and at the MAC / VAL in Vitry-sur-Seine, in 2010, at the Centre Georges-Pompidou in 2009. Élisabeth Ballet regularly responds to public commissions.