Guillaume & Hugo:
If we could make a new statue for Riom, we would
choose to do a bust of Jules Ferry, and we would put it in front of a school in Riom.
It would remind us, the pupils, that we have an extraordinary opportunity to go
to school, because, still today, a lot of children cannot go to school and learn.
The bust would be about 50cm high and be entirely made of marble, and placed on
a 1,5m high pedestal. It is important to remember that Jules Ferry made
school compulsory and free for all children, so we would like the remarkable
story of Jules Ferry to be written on the pedestal.
Ronan & Léo:
The egg is the symbol of life and the crack represents the pain of birth.
We would like to place this egg next to the sculpted column in the Pré-Madame square in front of the women’s
prison. It’s an area that many people pass through. There is a space there which
corresponds perfectly to the dimensions of the egg…
Axel & Mattis:
Our statue is called “Deity.” The figure is dark blue and there’s a big green flower with stars inside it. The stars represent the sky (that’s where the deity lives) and the flower symbolizes life. This statue will be eight meters tall and situated in front of our school. We would like this statue to be put up because Riom is a religious city, but also a city which needs more contemporary public sculptures. It will bring a bit of colour to our streets. It might attract a few visitors too!
Alexandre & Clémence:
A man, wearing a jacket and a helmet, is coming out from the ground… He’s in fact a miner coming out of his mine. He is smiling because he is happy. He is lost in thought, his head resting on his crossed arms. A miner is normally sad because his life is not easy, he has to work very hard, but when he comes out of the mine, he is pleased. This sculpture symbolizes how, thanks to our imagination, we can escape the daily grind…
Héloïse & Lise:
Axel & Mattis:
Our statue is called “Deity.” The figure is dark blue and there’s a big green flower with stars inside it. The stars represent the sky (that’s where the deity lives) and the flower symbolizes life. This statue will be eight meters tall and situated in front of our school. We would like this statue to be put up because Riom is a religious city, but also a city which needs more contemporary public sculptures. It will bring a bit of colour to our streets. It might attract a few visitors too!
Alexandre & Clémence:
A man, wearing a jacket and a helmet, is coming out from the ground… He’s in fact a miner coming out of his mine. He is smiling because he is happy. He is lost in thought, his head resting on his crossed arms. A miner is normally sad because his life is not easy, he has to work very hard, but when he comes out of the mine, he is pleased. This sculpture symbolizes how, thanks to our imagination, we can escape the daily grind…
Héloïse & Lise:
Once upon a
time, a valiant knight called Amable fought bravely on the back of his trusty
steed during a battle against the Swiss. During the fight, Amable was seriously
wounded in the leg. However, in spite of his wound, he had the strength to
reach a church. There, the priest who looked after him wanted to thank him for
having pushed away the enemy. So he transformed Amable’s horse into a
magnificent winged unicorn! Our equestrian statue, made, of course, from white
marble, will be placed on top of the oversized Four Seasons fountain to make it
a bit more fun!
Annaëlle & Alice:
Our statue, called “The Protecting Angel,” would be located above a church in Riom. Angels are the messengers of God; they are intermediaries between men and God. Our angel looks like a young child. He is here to look after us. He is on top of a church because he is a link between men and God. He is both close to us and above us. He is a symbol of God’s love. His wings represent his heavenly nature. His arms are directed towards the sky because he is imploring God on our behalf.
Coline & Roxanne:
Annaëlle & Alice:
Our statue, called “The Protecting Angel,” would be located above a church in Riom. Angels are the messengers of God; they are intermediaries between men and God. Our angel looks like a young child. He is here to look after us. He is on top of a church because he is a link between men and God. He is both close to us and above us. He is a symbol of God’s love. His wings represent his heavenly nature. His arms are directed towards the sky because he is imploring God on our behalf.
Coline & Roxanne:
If we could have a new statue for Riom made, it would be a sculpture
recounting our town’s rich history because there are not so many people who know it. It would be in the Musée Mandet courtyard because this museum
is a part of the town’s heritage itself and it is of course a place filled with
historically significant artefacts. There used to be a fountain in the
courtyard, but now it is rather empty… Our sculpture would be placed on two big
rectangular black carved Volvic stones. Apart from the man who is smoking, it would be made of a dark metal, and
the crown of a clearer metal. The train would also be made of metal. All the
rest would be made of stone. Here are the different elements: the Auvergne coat of arms (Riom is an important
town of the region); statue of the local Saint Amable; a crown because the
town belonged to the King of France from the 16th century; a man smoking
because in 1883 an important tobacco manufacture
was set up in Riom (near the train station); the coat of arms of the town; a halberd to symbolize Riom’s
medieval past; RICOMAGNUS, meaning “rich market,” was the first name of Riom
(created in 50 BC); a train because a railway line came to Riom in 1855; Saint
Amable Basilica, the main church; the “Tour de l’Horloge”, built in 1391, an emblematic building of Riom.
Pierre & Margot:
We would
like a big statue, with geometric shapes and a lot of colour in Riom. The
statue would bring happiness and colour in the town. It would be at the centre
of the city because most of the buildings are very dark there. I think the best
place for it is at the intersection of Rue Saint Amable and Rue du Commerce. Like
that, it would mark the centre of Riom and everybody could see it.
Juliette & Eva:
We are against racism and we wanted to represent this in a
statue. There will be a black hand (in bronze) which will hold a white hand (in
white marble). It will represent equality between Whites and Blacks. The
pedestal will also be made of those two materials. This statue will be exposed
in the Town Hall courtyard because it’s the place which represents the best
liberty, equality, and fraternity.
Jean & Marien:
Our sculpture, "The Power of Knowledge," shows a weapon which breaks out of a book. It would be made of marble and would be 3m tall, and the base 4,5m wide. It would be placed on a pedestal. "Knowledge is a powerful weapon," would be written on it. We want to symbolise the power of knowledge: in our society, knowledge is very easy to find but also to hide and has an impact on economics as well as politics. I added a sword to show that information can also be lethal. We would place our sculpture at the centre of the roundabout near the Pierre Robin stadium; there's a lot of traffic in that area, so many people would be able to admire it...
Clément, François & Corentin:
A thing that means as much to us as to Raoul Mabru is the damages of war and fights. An event that took place a year ago: the intervention of French soldiers in Mali to fight against terrorists. Those brave soldiers gave their lives in a very noble way, like Marinette Menut and other Résistance fighters of WW2. Marinette Menut gave her life to save her own Nation; the French soldiers in 2014 gave their lives for another Nation, and that makes their gesture even more beautiful, because, besides their bravery, there were generous too. This monument would sit in a square of Riom where everybody would see it. Although on the above photo the monument is shown in Mali to signify the place where those horrors happened, we would place this monument next to the commemorative monument to Marinette Menut. There is a soldier in the centre. On a big banner, you can see the inscription: “CAMP CBA Damien BOITEUX” and a red, white and blue logo. The word “Boiteux” refers to someone hurt who can hardly walk, because of an injury to his leg. And it gives a clearer meaning to the picture: French soldiers accepted to go to a foreign country to stop terrorism at the risk of their lives.
Jean & Marien:
Our sculpture, "The Power of Knowledge," shows a weapon which breaks out of a book. It would be made of marble and would be 3m tall, and the base 4,5m wide. It would be placed on a pedestal. "Knowledge is a powerful weapon," would be written on it. We want to symbolise the power of knowledge: in our society, knowledge is very easy to find but also to hide and has an impact on economics as well as politics. I added a sword to show that information can also be lethal. We would place our sculpture at the centre of the roundabout near the Pierre Robin stadium; there's a lot of traffic in that area, so many people would be able to admire it...
Clément, François & Corentin:
A thing that means as much to us as to Raoul Mabru is the damages of war and fights. An event that took place a year ago: the intervention of French soldiers in Mali to fight against terrorists. Those brave soldiers gave their lives in a very noble way, like Marinette Menut and other Résistance fighters of WW2. Marinette Menut gave her life to save her own Nation; the French soldiers in 2014 gave their lives for another Nation, and that makes their gesture even more beautiful, because, besides their bravery, there were generous too. This monument would sit in a square of Riom where everybody would see it. Although on the above photo the monument is shown in Mali to signify the place where those horrors happened, we would place this monument next to the commemorative monument to Marinette Menut. There is a soldier in the centre. On a big banner, you can see the inscription: “CAMP CBA Damien BOITEUX” and a red, white and blue logo. The word “Boiteux” refers to someone hurt who can hardly walk, because of an injury to his leg. And it gives a clearer meaning to the picture: French soldiers accepted to go to a foreign country to stop terrorism at the risk of their lives.
Quentin & Mathis:
We would not make a
statue of a person because that is too ordinary. We would make something big to
show power, for example a tower or a big Volvic stone structure to evoke the
Auvergne region. We have no precise idea of what are sculpture would look like yet,
and we would undoubtedly modify it during its construction! We would place it
on a roundabout on Desaix boulevard because everybody who enters Riom passes that
way.
Maylis, Lisa & Albane:
These are statues of a unicorn and a griffin. They guard the entrance gates of a totally unknown
country called Rions! Only magical animals are able to survive there...
Lucas & Emma:
We would like a sculpture to
be put up at the Cerey, close to the football pitch, because there are no
statues there yet. A big soccer ball would be a good idea; it must have a lot
of colours like a real soccer ball.
Clément & Amaury:
France recently paid tribute to the people involved in the Résistance: Pierre Brossolette, Germaine Tillion, Jean Zay and Geneviève De Gaulle Anthonioz were placed in the Panthéon. We think Riom should also honor its own hero: Marinette Menut. She was a pharmacist in Riom in 1939 and showed great courage in helping free prisoners. She deserves a statue; it would stand on a pedestal and she would carry a flag of France in her right hand to symbolize her patriotism and her determination. The statue would obviously be situated on the Marinette Menut square.
Clément & Amaury:
France recently paid tribute to the people involved in the Résistance: Pierre Brossolette, Germaine Tillion, Jean Zay and Geneviève De Gaulle Anthonioz were placed in the Panthéon. We think Riom should also honor its own hero: Marinette Menut. She was a pharmacist in Riom in 1939 and showed great courage in helping free prisoners. She deserves a statue; it would stand on a pedestal and she would carry a flag of France in her right hand to symbolize her patriotism and her determination. The statue would obviously be situated on the Marinette Menut square.
Tom & Enguerrand:
To honour Vercingetorix, the leader of the Gauls,
we want to make a giant statue of his helmet. But this statue isn’t commonplace: it can be moved around! The base of the statue and the helmet are made of wood.
The statue would be about 5m high. The wings would be in rusty iron to show
that the helmet is worn. It would be pulled by horses from Riom’s Virlogeux
square to the Gergovia plateau during a procession. People will be dressed
in Gallic costume. At Gergovia there will be a large banquet and the showing of an Asterix film!
Simon & Hugo:
For the next Riom
music festival, we want to make a fun, hands-on, sculpture relating to music. We
want to create a big version an old gramophone: a turntable topped with a bell
to amplify the sound. We would use the original colors and materials (wooden base
and structure, copper bell, vinyl record, iron reading arm and crank). The base
would measure 2m², approximately 1,5m high, 2m in diameter for the record, the
bell would be 2m tall with a 2m-wide opening. A mechanism would be installed to
allow the record to turn. People would be allowed to turn the crank to work the
playing mechanism. A Ray Charles song could then be heard… The idea of our
sculpture is to remind people of the beginnings of recorded music.
