Machines of the Isle of Nantes or Les Machines de l'Île de Nantes are a set of gigantic mechanical animals designed by Francois Delarozière and Pierre Orefice as an artistic, touristic and cultural project based in Nantes, France.

In earlier post I described encountering the Elephant of Nantes. After seeing the elephant we went to its lair. This is in part of an old s...

In earlier post I described encountering the Elephant of Nantes. After seeing the elephant we went to its lair. This is in part of an old shipyard. For just over eight euros you can look around a gallery containing many other machines and the workshops of Les Machines de l'île. This organisation built the elephant, a giant spider [shown clinging to a building in Liverpool] and a very tall diver [neither of these two photographs are mine]. I had seen items on the net about these machines but had no notion of their backstory. Apparently, the Les Machines de l'île organisation is owned by the City of Nantes and some other public partners. I guess it is part of a scheme to regenerate the city. If so, its a very clever and creative idea. The French are so good at these projects. Unlike the Anglo-Saxons they look at the idea first and worry about the Balance Sheet later. Inside the workshop Most of the machines have seats inside and controls to allow them to be manipulated. You can see the two drivers seats on the back of the squid. In the photograph below you can see the workshop where the machines are made. We really liked the Les Machines de l'île. It was the high-point of our visit to Nantes. It is one of those places [to paraphrase Samuel Johnson] that is not only worth seeing, but worth going to see. There is also a nice shop with lots of very reasonably priced goodies.

Machines of the Isle of Nantes or Les Machines de l'Île de Nantes are a set of gigantic mechanical animals designed by Francois Delarozière and Pierre Orefice as an artistic, touristic and cultural project based in Nantes, France.

A unique elephant encounter in Nantes Created by François Delarozière, Pierre Orefice, and their team of artists and engineers at La Machine Company workshop, the Grand Éléphant was the first of three artworks/attractions constructed for the Machines de l’île (Machines of the Isle) in Nantes. The elephant is a mechanical sculpture that’s so big it can take up to 49 passengers for a 45-minute walk. After unveiling the elephant in 2007 and the Carrousel des Mondes Marins (Marine World Carousel) in 2012, they're now working on an ambitious third project, L’Arbre aux Hérons (Tree of Herons), scheduled for 2022. The efforts of these visionary creators have turned a shuttered industrial shipyard on the Loire River into a unique place where art, architecture, tourism, and urban planning come together to delight all who visit.

In earlier post I described encountering the Elephant of Nantes. After seeing the elephant we went to its lair. This is in part of an old s...

Dragon Machines de l'île : discover the news of Les Machines de l'Île in France in Nantes as the aventures of Long Ma the dragon, the heron's tree launch of the crowdfunding, new entertainment in the Galerie des Machines and our participation in a non profit NGO for the safeguard of the elephant.

Machines of the Isle of Nantes or Les Machines de l'Île de Nantes are a set of gigantic mechanical animals designed by Francois Delarozière and Pierre Orefice as an artistic, touristic and cultural project based in Nantes, France.

In earlier post I described encountering the Elephant of Nantes. After seeing the elephant we went to its lair. This is in part of an old shipyard. For just over eight euros you can look around a gallery containing many other machines and the workshops of Les Machines de l'île. This organisation built the elephant, a giant spider [shown clinging to a building in Liverpool] and a very tall diver [neither of these two photographs are mine]. I had seen items on the net about these machines but had no notion of their backstory. Apparently, the Les Machines de l'île organisation is owned by the City of Nantes and some other public partners. I guess it is part of a scheme to regenerate the city. If so, its a very clever and creative idea. The French are so good at these projects. Unlike the Anglo-Saxons they look at the idea first and worry about the Balance Sheet later. Inside the workshop Most of the machines have seats inside and controls to allow them to be manipulated. You can see the two drivers seats on the back of the squid. In the photograph below you can see the workshop where the machines are made. We really liked the Les Machines de l'île. It was the high-point of our visit to Nantes. It is one of those places [to paraphrase Samuel Johnson] that is not only worth seeing, but worth going to see. There is also a nice shop with lots of very reasonably priced goodies.

Machines of the Isle of Nantes or Les Machines de l'Île de Nantes are a set of gigantic mechanical animals designed by Francois Delarozière and Pierre Orefice as an artistic, touristic and cultural project based in Nantes, France.

In earlier post I described encountering the Elephant of Nantes. After seeing the elephant we went to its lair. This is in part of an old shipyard. For just over eight euros you can look around a gallery containing many other machines and the workshops of Les Machines de l'île. This organisation built the elephant, a giant spider [shown clinging to a building in Liverpool] and a very tall diver [neither of these two photographs are mine]. I had seen items on the net about these machines but had no notion of their backstory. Apparently, the Les Machines de l'île organisation is owned by the City of Nantes and some other public partners. I guess it is part of a scheme to regenerate the city. If so, its a very clever and creative idea. The French are so good at these projects. Unlike the Anglo-Saxons they look at the idea first and worry about the Balance Sheet later. Inside the workshop Most of the machines have seats inside and controls to allow them to be manipulated. You can see the two drivers seats on the back of the squid. In the photograph below you can see the workshop where the machines are made. We really liked the Les Machines de l'île. It was the high-point of our visit to Nantes. It is one of those places [to paraphrase Samuel Johnson] that is not only worth seeing, but worth going to see. There is also a nice shop with lots of very reasonably priced goodies.

Machines of the Isle of Nantes or Les Machines de l'Île de Nantes are a set of gigantic mechanical animals designed by Francois Delarozière and Pierre Orefice as an artistic, touristic and cultural project based in Nantes, France.

In earlier post I described encountering the Elephant of Nantes. After seeing the elephant we went to its lair. This is in part of an old shipyard. For just over eight euros you can look around a gallery containing many other machines and the workshops of Les Machines de l'île. This organisation built the elephant, a giant spider [shown clinging to a building in Liverpool] and a very tall diver [neither of these two photographs are mine]. I had seen items on the net about these machines but had no notion of their backstory. Apparently, the Les Machines de l'île organisation is owned by the City of Nantes and some other public partners. I guess it is part of a scheme to regenerate the city. If so, its a very clever and creative idea. The French are so good at these projects. Unlike the Anglo-Saxons they look at the idea first and worry about the Balance Sheet later. Inside the workshop Most of the machines have seats inside and controls to allow them to be manipulated. You can see the two drivers seats on the back of the squid. In the photograph below you can see the workshop where the machines are made. We really liked the Les Machines de l'île. It was the high-point of our visit to Nantes. It is one of those places [to paraphrase Samuel Johnson] that is not only worth seeing, but worth going to see. There is also a nice shop with lots of very reasonably priced goodies.

Machines of the Isle of Nantes or Les Machines de l'Île de Nantes are a set of gigantic mechanical animals designed by Francois Delarozière and Pierre Orefice as an artistic, touristic and cultural project based in Nantes, France.

In earlier post I described encountering the Elephant of Nantes. After seeing the elephant we went to its lair. This is in part of an old shipyard. For just over eight euros you can look around a gallery containing many other machines and the workshops of Les Machines de l'île. This organisation built the elephant, a giant spider [shown clinging to a building in Liverpool] and a very tall diver [neither of these two photographs are mine]. I had seen items on the net about these machines but had no notion of their backstory. Apparently, the Les Machines de l'île organisation is owned by the City of Nantes and some other public partners. I guess it is part of a scheme to regenerate the city. If so, its a very clever and creative idea. The French are so good at these projects. Unlike the Anglo-Saxons they look at the idea first and worry about the Balance Sheet later. Inside the workshop Most of the machines have seats inside and controls to allow them to be manipulated. You can see the two drivers seats on the back of the squid. In the photograph below you can see the workshop where the machines are made. We really liked the Les Machines de l'île. It was the high-point of our visit to Nantes. It is one of those places [to paraphrase Samuel Johnson] that is not only worth seeing, but worth going to see. There is also a nice shop with lots of very reasonably priced goodies.

A captivating city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France, these are the best things to do in Nantes. You will love it.

All about Les Machines de l'Ile (the Machines of the Isle of Nantes). These quirky Nantes machines are one of the top things to do in Nantes!

Machines of the Isle of Nantes or Les Machines de l'Île de Nantes are a set of gigantic mechanical animals designed by Francois Delarozière and Pierre Orefice as an artistic, touristic and cultural project based in Nantes, France.

In earlier post I described encountering the Elephant of Nantes. After seeing the elephant we went to its lair. This is in part of an old shipyard. For just over eight euros you can look around a gallery containing many other machines and the workshops of Les Machines de l'île. This organisation built the elephant, a giant spider [shown clinging to a building in Liverpool] and a very tall diver [neither of these two photographs are mine]. I had seen items on the net about these machines but had no notion of their backstory. Apparently, the Les Machines de l'île organisation is owned by the City of Nantes and some other public partners. I guess it is part of a scheme to regenerate the city. If so, its a very clever and creative idea. The French are so good at these projects. Unlike the Anglo-Saxons they look at the idea first and worry about the Balance Sheet later. Inside the workshop Most of the machines have seats inside and controls to allow them to be manipulated. You can see the two drivers seats on the back of the squid. In the photograph below you can see the workshop where the machines are made. We really liked the Les Machines de l'île. It was the high-point of our visit to Nantes. It is one of those places [to paraphrase Samuel Johnson] that is not only worth seeing, but worth going to see. There is also a nice shop with lots of very reasonably priced goodies.

Machines of the Isle of Nantes or Les Machines de l'Île de Nantes are a set of gigantic mechanical animals designed by Francois Delarozière and Pierre Orefice as an artistic, touristic and cultural project based in Nantes, France.

The Great Elephant The mechanical elephant is 12 meters high and 8 meters wide, made from 45 tons of wood and steel. It can take up to 49 passengers for a 45-minute walk. The Marine Worlds Carousel…

Massive puppet-automaton machines created by French artist collective Machines de l’Ile.

Machines of the Isle of Nantes or Les Machines de l'Île de Nantes are a set of gigantic mechanical animals designed by Francois Delaroz...

The French are known for some pretty impressive engineering feats, such as the Eiffel Tower or TGV Train network. Less well known however is the amazing engineering accomplished by the Les Machines de l'île, an artistic and tourist project based i...

Machines of the Isle of Nantes or Les Machines de l'Île de Nantes are a set of gigantic mechanical animals designed by Francois Delaroz...

Nantes is a beautiful city at the intersection of the Loire & Brittany. Listen to this episode to learn about the best of Nantes for visitors.

Massive puppet-automaton machines created by French artist collective Machines de l’Ile.

In earlier post I described encountering the Elephant of Nantes. After seeing the elephant we went to its lair. This is in part of an old shipyard. For just over eight euros you can look around a gallery containing many other machines and the workshops of Les Machines de l'île. This organisation built the elephant, a giant spider [shown clinging to a building in Liverpool] and a very tall diver [neither of these two photographs are mine]. I had seen items on the net about these machines but had no notion of their backstory. Apparently, the Les Machines de l'île organisation is owned by the City of Nantes and some other public partners. I guess it is part of a scheme to regenerate the city. If so, its a very clever and creative idea. The French are so good at these projects. Unlike the Anglo-Saxons they look at the idea first and worry about the Balance Sheet later. Inside the workshop Most of the machines have seats inside and controls to allow them to be manipulated. You can see the two drivers seats on the back of the squid. In the photograph below you can see the workshop where the machines are made. We really liked the Les Machines de l'île. It was the high-point of our visit to Nantes. It is one of those places [to paraphrase Samuel Johnson] that is not only worth seeing, but worth going to see. There is also a nice shop with lots of very reasonably priced goodies.

Machines of the Isle of Nantes or Les Machines de l'Île de Nantes are a set of gigantic mechanical animals designed by Francois Delarozière and Pierre Orefice as an artistic, touristic and cultural project based in Nantes, France.

Machines of the Isle of Nantes or Les Machines de l'Île de Nantes are a set of gigantic mechanical animals designed by Francois Delarozière and Pierre Orefice as an artistic, touristic and cultural project based in Nantes, France.

Machines of the Isle of Nantes or Les Machines de l'Île de Nantes are a set of gigantic mechanical animals designed by Francois Delarozière and Pierre Orefice as an artistic, touristic and cultural project based in Nantes, France.