Renaud Auguste-Dormeuil Puts Tapestry in the Spotlight at the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire
As part of the AR(t)CHIPEL festival and in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou, the Centre d’Arts et de Nature of the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire is presenting Hope It Was Worth It, an exhibition by artist Renaud Auguste-Dormeuil featuring 12 tapestries. After being purchased on the art market, these Aubusson tapestries from the 17th and 18th centuries were precisely dated. For each tapestry, a historical event that took place during its weaving was chosen, and thanks to a software programme, the artist was able to recreate the sky map as it was visible at the time of the event. These maps were incorporated into each tapestry by using a new dye. Examples include the ‘Héron buvant’ (Drinking Heron) tapestry of 1791, which was associated with the arrest of King Louis XVI during his flight to Varennes, or the ‘L’Oiseau et le serpent’ (Bird and Snake) tapestry of 1759, which featured the sky as it appeared on the day of the last appearance of Halley’s Comet.
Bringing together small stories and great history is what this exhibition is all about. The art of tapestry, long considered to be merely decorative, is now being reconciled with the major events of their eras: a fine way of paying tribute to this craftsmanship, listed as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO. At the opening, we met Julie Rouart, Chantal Colleu-Dumond, Fabienne Leclerc, Valérie Bach, Alice Babin, Letizia Le Fur and Claire Luna.
Photos : Michaël Huard
