 |
| this scene. taken from a 13-second video by Gérard Larive, gives an idea of the area that is transformed into an art environment |
The house depicted above, together with the adjoining space transformed into an art environment with the allure of a pyramid as the leading motif, is located in the small village of Cormatin, in western France.
The village has around 500 inhabitants and it has the characteristics of many small villages in the region, like there is a main road, a few shops, and a small restaurant. But Cormatin also has a castle that is situated in the middle of the village.
And just outside the village an artwork is located, that attracts considerable interest due to its unique theme, that is focused upon creating an art environment with the allure of a pyrsamid.......
 |
| this image and the next six are screenprints from a video (May 2025) by Gérard Larive |
.
Life and works
This art environment is a creation by Gérard Larive, who was born around 1952 and became a stonemason by profession, working in construction for many years;
| . |
In 2007, when he was in his early 50s, he bought a plot of land near Cormatin measuring 4,000 m². He did this to give shape to his deep inner need to build a pyramid. Maintaining a scale of 1 to 5, he saw such a project as the adventure of his life.
As can be seen in the image at the very top, the wall on the right side of the complex is dominated by slanted panels, partly interrupted by sculptures.
Some of the surrounding images show those panels viewed up close.
Taken together, these panels appear to represent the base of a pyramid to scale. Official local building regulations only permit structures like these panels on a certain scale, and Larive has adhered to this.
The image below shows that in the center of the complex there is also a small-scale structure of four slanted rods, which are connected to each other at a point at the top and thus also depict a pyramid, but then on a small scale.
Due tot the design method, the art environment marks the most important aspects of the shape of a pyramid.
An additional design element is also that at the entrance to the complex there is the tomb located of an Egyptian deity, followed by a variety of sculptures in antique styles.
.
The image below shows that in the center of the complex, there is a tower that can be entered by visitors to enjoy a panoramic view of the various creations.
As can be seen on above image the entrance to the tower is also the entrance to a sarcophagus.
Via a corridor one reaches two beautifully furnished rooms.
The image below shows the first room, which contains the sarcophagus, a monumental coffin standing on the floor and adorned with a gold-colored sculpture.
The second room contains a large rectangular element covered with a white sheet.
All walls and ceilings of the two rooms are stylishly colored.
Within the four walls of the more or less square complex, visitors often feel as if they are in ancient Egypt.
Gérard Larive has the experience that people sense a positive atmosphere when visiting this art environment.
.
Those visiting the art environment independently do not have to pay an entrance fee. A guided tour of the pyramid costs a few euros.
Those interested can extend their stay near the art environment, as Gérard's daughter, Carine Larive, is offering a cottage for rent on the grounds of the art environment with a minimum stay of two nights.
The cottage is furnished in an ancient Egyptian style, featuring a bed that mimics an Egyptian sarcophagus.
"Here I invite people on a journey, to experience things," Gérard Larive explains..
Documentation
* Article (August 2026) in newspaper Le Journal 200
* Article with some illustrations on Info Chalon
* Website of the site with it's history and other info
* Facebook
.
Video
*
Video (May 2026) on YouTube by Gérard Larive
.
. .
Gérard Larive
Pyramide de Cormatin
9 La Bergerie du Bas,
71460 Cormatin, dept Saônne-et-Loire, region Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
France
Google Streetview has a variety of images of the site
No comments:
Post a Comment