This fauteuil de Postel -Postel's armchair, from the name of the guy who made it- is exposed in a museum in which I've worked, and if you don't like it, know that apparently no one does except for me.
As you can see, it's made of concrete set on an iron armature, and there are actual ammonites embedded in it. This was a way for the creator to celebrate the history of the place in which he was living: Villers-sur-Mer is one of these places that got popular in the XIXth century, when French and English aristocrats took a liking to coastal towns. When they were here, they noticed that the "Black Cow" cliffs were very rich in fossils (marine invertebrae and huge ass reptiles) and it soon became a famous spot for scientists. The end of the XIXth century was big on science, as new discoveries had deeply changed the way people saw the world around them, and brought them a slice of magic: universes that couldn't be seen with the naked eye, past worlds coming back to life...
And iron and concrete were the shit. So sturdy, so easy to give them whatever shape! And they were industrial-looking, for a time that celebrated without reservations the wonders and marvels of industry, you can understand how cool they appeared.
Additionnally, there was a craze for "fake natural craziness"; people would put up fake caves in their gardens with carved stalagtites and the occasional statue coming out of the wall, English gardens with "#nofilter" nature were on the rise...
So Postel decided to combine all of this and create his "God of the past seas" armchair. He'd rule over the animals from times past, and the ones he sculpted himself in a man-made high tech material (they'e hard to distinguish from the real deal), and look at the cliffs and people coming there.
Good point; sadly I was never allowed to sit on it but I think it'd require a good cushion, and keeping your butt on the edge of the seat to not have an ammonite-shaped spine deformation.
As you can see, it's made of concrete set on an iron armature, and there are actual ammonites embedded in it. This was a way for the creator to celebrate the history of the place in which he was living: Villers-sur-Mer is one of these places that got popular in the XIXth century, when French and English aristocrats took a liking to coastal towns. When they were here, they noticed that the "Black Cow" cliffs were very rich in fossils (marine invertebrae and huge ass reptiles) and it soon became a famous spot for scientists. The end of the XIXth century was big on science, as new discoveries had deeply changed the way people saw the world around them, and brought them a slice of magic: universes that couldn't be seen with the naked eye, past worlds coming back to life...
Additionnally, there was a craze for "fake natural craziness"; people would put up fake caves in their gardens with carved stalagtites and the occasional statue coming out of the wall, English gardens with "#nofilter" nature were on the rise...
So Postel decided to combine all of this and create his "God of the past seas" armchair. He'd rule over the animals from times past, and the ones he sculpted himself in a man-made high tech material (they'e hard to distinguish from the real deal), and look at the cliffs and people coming there.
2. Be the one closing the site at the end of the afternoon
3. Post a pic!