Thanks to Darthbob from Laprise.org who recently alerted me to a new project related to Royal de Luxe, Les Machines de l’île de Nantes, which opened over this last weekend.

Planned as a new artistic, cultural and tourist venture, and part of an urban renewal of the docklands, it consists of numerous large mechanical creatures to build dreams around, imagined by François Delarozière and Pierre Orefice. They are installed in the great naves of the old shipyards on the island of Nantes, France.

First, there is a great elephant, similar to the Sultan’s, but a bit bigger at 12 metres high, which can take 30 passengers on its back for a 30 minute journey. It will journey every day.

Then there will be a huge tree, with branches that you can walk within. In time there will be herons in the tree, and people will be able to take rides in baskets below their wings.

The third part is a gallery of imagined machinical marine creatures, also rideable:

Le Luminaire des grands fonds:

(photo credit: Claude Joannis)

La Larve de crabe:

(photo credit: Claude Joannis)

Le Poisson pirate:

(photo credit: Claude Joannis)

Le Calamar à rétropropulsion:

(photo credit: Claude Joannis)

La Raie manta:

(photo credit: Claude Joannis)

I think there is also a royal crab planned.

Other links:

Royal de Luxe – this unofficial French site is always the best for all up-to-date RdL news.

At Nantes Métropole:

• dossier presse Eléphant
• machinesfr.pdf
• Les Machines de l’île : check links from this page
• Les Machines de l’île: this site has plans, sketches, video and photos:

video 1: intro, bits of elephant and branches, maquette of the tree
video 2: adapting the original buildings, building the elephant, in particular its feet!
video 3: making the models of the creatures – very cute little squid, manta
video 4: piecing the iron and wooden shell of the elephant together with crane.

photos 1 – 18: the opening, with elephants first parade
photos 19 – 26: models
photos 27 – 49: making the elephant
photos 50 – 55: the buildings

Maville.com’s special coverage: check out the manta, the angler fish in particular.

France 3: Les Fabuleuses Machines de l’île has a cool photo gallery – the best photo of the crab larvae so far.

At Flickr:

• Claude Joannis (thanks for the creative commons license)
• Stefan (thanks for the creative commons license)
• Royal de luxe central pool

L’Internaute Magazine photo gallery: cool workshop making photos (added 19.7.07)