the essentials The catering center built at Les Ramassiers, boulevard de l’Europe, will open soon. The work will last a year.
Built on the stump of an umbrella pine, a sculpture in the wood pays homage to the giants felled last summer. It is at the Friendly Auberge that she can be seen. The work is the idea of the owner of the inn, Nancy Walker and Guillaume Chartier, carpenter, sculptor, resident.
“I’ve always been inspired by trees,” says Nancy. “I learned to recognize them among the scouts then studied them, completing a thesis on the redwood. In 2014, when acquiring the place, I could only be attracted by these century-old oaks, chestnut trees, Judas trees and of course umbrella pines.”
A source of life
So, when the two umbrella pines at the entrance to the inn began to lean dangerously, partially blocking the way, Nancy looked for ways to save them, in vain. Last summer in a few hours the chainsaws destroyed half a century of life. A habitat for all wildlife, nest, food, security etc. And for families and passing visitors, as well as residents, a quiet and shaded area. Coincidentally, one of these residents is a carpenter and sculptor. Nancy and Guillaume together design a project centered on the stump of the largest pine.
“I want to show what the trees were and would have continued to be, had they remained standing, a source of life and shelter for the birds and other animals that we have in Colomiers,” Guillaume said.
Their idea, to incorporate what was left of the trees to create a meeting place for hostel guests and, at the same time, a memorial to the beauty of trees and the life they help sustain.
Thus, the sculpture in wood represents in particular images of birds that can be seen in Colomiers such as common starlings, blackbirds and kestrels, nightingales and owls, among others. “The structure is a tribute to trees and what they do for us,” concludes Nancy. “We couldn’t save the pines from being felled, but we can give them a new purpose and commemorate what they have done in the past and continue to do for us today.”
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