stéphane guiran composes a quartz gemstone abyss

artist stéphane guiran has composed an undulating landscape of thousands of quartz gemstones as part of the domaine de chaumont-sur-loire’s latest artistic season. ‘le nid des murmures’ (the nest of murmurs) has been conceived especially for the historic castle’s indoor riding arena, and interacts specifically with the rounded architecture of the site. the poetic accumulation of stones forms a sweeping scenography, subtly illuminated by natural light that filters through small windows in the room.

‘le nid des murmures’ (the nest of murmurs) has been conceived especially for the indoor riding arena
image © stéphane guiran

guiran’s sculptural installation infills the former riding arena at domaine de chaumont-sur-loire. ‘I imagined a nest made from geodes gleaned in morocco’s atlas mountains,’ guiran explains. ‘stone flowers gathered by human hands. like poems garnered directly from the earth. from these broken geodes, a gentle purity emanates. that of quartz, keeper of murmurs. to white quartz we ascribe the magical gift of reflecting thoughts and feelings. singing the silent words hidden within us.’

the installation interacts specifically with the rounded architecture of the site
image © stéphane guiran

guiran’s work is among 13 new installations on view domaine de chaumont-sur-loire, which includes an immersive installation by miguel chevalier that transports viewers to a digital universe, and a delicate wooden cityscape by sara favriau carved with an inventiveness and painstaking attention to detail.

stones are subtly illuminated by natural light that filters through small windows in the room
image © stéphane guiran