Seen from above, one might believe that the semicircle of the Saline resembles a sort of spaceship. Ones that could make it possible to fly from the earth to the moon.
Seen from above, we can also see a giant octopus which has been drawn in the tall grass of the interior space of the saltworks. A direct allusion to “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea”.
Throughout the summer and beyond, the royal saltworks of Arc-et-Senans will live to the rhythm of the great imagination of Amiens, one of the French writers, 68 novels, 18 short stories, who has been the most translated in the world. “Jules Verne represents a mechanics of time to be studied in detail,” explains Isabelle Sallé, curator of the exhibition who did not hesitate, indeed, to put her hands in the engine: “I read and consulted 52 works in four months! »
The big travel map
A conference this weekend looked at the phenomenon, in this saltworks dedicated to utopia. “The problem that quickly arose was: how to approach it,” explains Hubert Tassy, director of the Saline. We could have focused on rare editions, specialist details. We wanted to go beyond. »
The result was two large exhibition rooms in the director’s house and three themes covered. The first is dedicated to “The Extraordinary Work” where we discover the extraordinary editions, but also the engravings and drawings from the Jules Verne universe. The second part is devoted to the “geographic novel” where the writer’s texts are compared to texts and illustrations, cinema posters. To underline everything, an exceptional world map retraces all the journeys of Jules Verne’s heroes, from Michel Strogoff to Captain Nemo.
Engineers, women…
The third part will logically be devoted to the conquest of the seas and the air. Jules Verne as herald of 20th century inventionse century which are starting to become big. We don’t miss the odyssey of the typical characters in the work, the engineers, the artists, the travelers, but also the women.
It is worth noting the extraordinary scenography work carried out for this exhibition by the MBC collective. Locals, from Isba, who gravitate between Saint-Vit and Liesle. Not to be missed is the formidable collection of original drawings by Jean-Pierre Bouvet, reconstituting Jules Verne’s machinery in the ultimate detail.
Time travel is open to everyone. It is particularly rich and playful.
“The world of Jules Verne”, until January 5, 2020 at the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans. Adults: €10 including entry to the Saline.
