aixcentric

Having done posts this week about expos beginning, here’s a heads-up on one that is about to end.

‘Mountains and Seas’ is a temporary exhibit crafted by Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei.

The large white Salle d’Exposition at Chateau La Coste is a perfect backdrop for these mysterious 2D installations, crafted from bamboo, twine and string – the same method as the Chinese use for making kites.  Above it all, floats a massive 3D human body, ‘Yuyi’, based on a 2000 year old burial suit of an emporer from the Western Han dynasty.  As I say, mysterious but very beautiful and a handout at the door unravels the symbolism.

But the expo isn’t on for much longer – it ends on June 17th.

However, there  is a new permanent installation by the artist which is part of the 2-hour ‘art and architecture’ trail which takes visitors through the vineyards and olive trees and up the hill to the top of the domaine.

This is entitled ‘Ruyi Path’ and it symbolises power and good fortune in Chinese history.  This new pathway is made from cobbles salvaged from the port of Marseille which were passed over by many immigrants over the years.   The pathway weaves between the trees and apparently connects two ancient routes on the property.

Despite its Chinese cultural origins, it fits in perfectly with the old restanques behind it – these are the dry stone walls native to Provence that shored up soil in steps, so the locals could plant their crops on horizontal surfaces. It also reminded me of the dry stone walls in Derbyshire used to mark out fields and provide a bit of shelter for the sheep.  Interesting parallels.

Entry:  15 euros, under 7s free.  The paths are stony and steep in places but families with prams seemed to be able to negotiate them well.  There is a tour by buggy for people with mobility problems – they have to phone ahead to organise this.

Eating: Quite a choice!  We had morning coffee in the Tadao Ando restaurant (right) which offers lunch for 32 euros.  After the walk, we had a light lunch in the sun at the Terrace café (below) which has a beautiful Provencal setting.

The new gourmet restaurant is the Louison with chef Gerald Passedat.  And as you would expect in a vineyard, there is wine-tasting or an indepth tour of the wine-making areas.

Here is the website with lots of details of this interesting venue.  It includes a video showing some of the installations in the vineyard: https://chateau-la-coste.com/en/walk/

It’s about a 25-30 minute drive from Aix and a lovely, stimulating day out – art, food and exercise!