Désert de Retz II
#installation, #lecture & workshop, #show & performanceAnne Bourrassé & Mounir Ayache
All. Frédéric Passy, 78240 Chambourcy
From 1:00 PM to 6:30 PM: Open visit and audiovisual creation by Mounir Ayache and Anne Bourrassé
At 2:00 PM and 4:30 PM: Guided tour and meeting with the artists
How to get to the Désert de Retz:
Meeting point: Chemin du Jeu de Boules, 78240 Chambourcy (parking lot opposite the cemetery). A free shuttle will take you to the Désert de Retz (every 15 minutes).
By public transport:
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RER A – Saint Germain en Laye, then bus R4 to Mairie de Chambourcy
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RER A – Poissy, then bus 8 to Mairie de Chambourcy
By car: No parking on-site. Park at Chemin du Jeu de Boules, then take the free shuttle.
By shuttle from Paris: Departure at 3:00 PM from 104 rue d’Aubervilliers, 75019 Paris
Located in the countryside of Les Yvelines, west of Paris, the Désert de Retz is a place of secret gardens, astonishing architecture and fascinating tales. This unique site will serve as the backdrop to a day of guided tours, performances, and an installation envisioned by artists Anne Bourrassé and Mounir Ayache.
The brainchild of wealthy heir François Racine de Monville, a lover of music, social life and botany, the Désert de Retz began in 1774 as a 39-hectare property in Chambourcy. There aren’t any dunes in this “desert,” only follies – lost or renovated structures representing various eras of civilization and colonial exploration.
This architectural utopia features botanical species imported from across the world and a list of guests that includes Marie-Antoinette, Thomas Jefferson, and the Surrealists. Bourrassé and Ayache add a page to the landmark’s rich history by drawing inspiration from the conspiracy theories about Désert de Retz and the political upheaval that led to the fall of the monarchy.
Cover © N. Vercellino, Désert de Retz, Chambourcy