It uses the aquaponics technique, which combines fish breeding and vegetable production in a closed circuit. The structure is made entirely from recycled materials: wood from the city's plane tree, harvested during winter pruning, tubs that serve as fish tanks... At a time when ecological issues are imposing themselves on our daily lives, the artist plays with recycled materials and tests a horticultural process that opens up new perspectives.
When he's not embarking on adventures that put him to the test in extreme situations, Laurent Tixador makes devices and objects with an ever-renewed concern for experimentation.
Installation created with the support of the City of Nantes' Service des Espaces Verts et de l'Environnement and students from the École des Beaux-Arts Nantes Saint-Nazaire and the École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Nantes.
Particular attention is paid to the health and hygiene of the participating fish, which benefit from healthy, oxygenated water and appropriate food. A veterinarian is on hand to monitor the fish throughout the show.
Laurent Tixador (b. 1965, Colmar) lives and works in Nantes.
He regularly takes part in solo and group exhibitions in France and abroad (CAPC, MAC Marseille, Fondation d'entreprise Ricard, Pac Murcia, Confort Moderne, Frac Réunion, Biennale de Belleville...). In 2013, he won the COAL Art and Environment Prize.
In 2018, he presents a solo exhibition entitled La centrale at La cuisine Nouvelle fenêtre, art and design center in Négrepelisse (82) until May 20.
Laurent Tixador also takes part in several group exhibitions and events:
- Sculpter (faire à l'atelier) at La Criée Nouvelle fenêtre, center d'art contemporain, Rennes (35), until May 27;
- Habitarium at La Condition Publique Nouvelle fenêtre in Roubaix (59), from March 29 to July 8;
- Halt growth! at CID Nouvelle fenêtre, innovation and design center in Grand-Hornu (Belgium), from July 1 to October 21.
Caption and credits
Laurent Tixador, Potager, 2018 © Musée d'arts de Nantes - C. Clos and M. Roynard