MAMMUTHUS VOLANTES, Bringing an Ancestor Back to Life
In Strasbourg, as part of L'Industrie Magnifique, Jacques Rival gave a second life to a genuine 12,000-year-old mammoth skeleton, acquired by the Soprema group: Mammuthus Volantes, the "flying mammoth," rose from its ashes at the heart of the city.
Suspended between earth and sky, floating above the public on a monumental water geyser, the mammoth seemed to have travelled from afar to carry us even higher. Framed against the perspective of the cathedral's spire, it became the conductor of a spectacle blending water, light and sound, in dialogue with Strasbourg's urban landscape.
By connecting this long-vanished ancestor to the 21st century, the installation celebrates memory and the past, proof that even the most ancient matter can, today, still stir a sense of wonder.
Production: Groupe Soprema, Aquatique Show International, for L'Industrie Magnifique.
