“We are surrounded by and co-exist with objects and architecture, as they share our living spaces.” – Baptiste Debombourg
Described as an idealistic troublemaker, French artist Baptiste Debombourg is well known for utilizing objects and materials that are ubiquitous and familiar, but that are transformed in a new way.
In one of his most recent works at the Place du Bouffay in Nantes, Debombourg uses over 1,200 cafe chairs fastened on to a twisting metal framework reminiscent of a roller coaster.
Baptiste Debombourg designed his project after observing the Place du Bouffay and the great presence of outdoor cafés and restaurants. An outdoor patio is synonymous with socializing. The chair composing it can be seen as representative of a person. The artist decided to play with this presence by creating a large aerial sculpture that contradicts the gravity of everyone anchored to the ground.
In a dialogue with the volume of the public square and the height of the buildings, two ellipses of chairs rise up into the air, meet, and then separate. The shape also takes its inspiration from an artwork that Robert Delaunay made for the “Palais de l’Air” during the Paris World’s Fair in 1937. In it, the artist put man back in his place as an integral part of his environment, subjected to its laws.
All of his projects Debombourg explains, “are somehow or other linked to an aspect of human relationships; our mistakes, our doubts, our desires, and the perceptions we have of some of our realities. My work is based on the exploration of the psychology we have in connection with objects, looking for an induction between reality and the ideal that we are trying to reach.” 
The artwork was realized with the support from Atlantic beverages partner services and the cafes and restaurants. What makes this structure exemplary is that it also organizes an event every summer highlighting this cultural project through an urban itinerary, filling city spaces with both temporary and permanent art works. 
+ Baptiste Debombourg
