patrick dougherty weaves ‘fit for a queen’ at castle moat in nantes

patrick dougherty weaves fit for a queen at castle moat in nantes
all images © martin argyroglo / LVAN

american sculptor patrick dougherty has woven a stickwork at the castle of the dukes of brittany in nantes, france. ‘fit for a queen’ is an ephemeral structure made of branches, cascading in perpetual movement, reaching a monumental scale and enveloping those inside within a maze of organic material. set in the fortress’ moat, the installation invites viewers to enter and explore the tangled passageways and windows built into its tree-like expanse. the project has been realized for this year’s edition of le voyage à nantes.

‘fit for a queen’ in the moat of the castle of the dukes of brittany in nantes, france

the large-scale work, as a creative undertaking, has required a developed understanding of the medium and an insight into the environmental context around it. ‘I have developed a process, an approach to building a sculpture.‘ dougherty explains ‘the first phase is to harvest some bigger saplings, which I put firmly into the ground to serve as a structural base. next, I imagine my sticks as lines with which to draw, and I pull piles of young saplings through these structural supports. this builds up a beautiful surface that looks much like a line drawing on a sheet of paper. finally I ‘erase’ or hide the blemishes with flourishes of very small sticks.’

behind the interwoven branches

‘I generally work in public, and passers-by have access to the process of building the sculpture.’ the artist continues ‘the relationship that develops with people who live and work nearby has turned out to be a very interesting secondary gain. I think of conversations as a kind of cultural exchange, and I’ve learned to capitalize on the energy that it generates in me.’

the installation invites viewers to enter and explore the tangled passageways

passageways and tunnels are built into the maze-like structure

overlooking the castle in nantes

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