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BALTICA ATLANTICA
ABOUT THIS WALKER & MODERN-DAY PILGRIM
I am 58 years of age; a Sculptor from Normandy, a true Walker, Design Engineer and a ‘classic Pilgrim’. I have already been honoured in Santiago de Compostela for walking over 22,000 km along European roads and the ancient, classic Trails.
For 6 months at the end of 2016, the French Senate presented a Photographic Exhibition to mark the 20th anniversary of the French Heritage Foundation ~ entitled "The Heritage, a Passion, the People". This was displayed on railings by the Luxembourg Gardens. So, whilst I was still walking in Spain, I was officially, concurrently on display on the railings of the Senate in Paris ~ my image, ‘A Modern-Day Pilgrim’.
I have established an international artistic project named ‘SOLITARY TIDES’, to collect 7000 Samples of Sands from the seas of the world and so build a heritage collection for future generations. A major portion of the sand collected will be merged into a large sculpture (Solitary Tides). It will be placed at the top of his project as a unique monument to be erected in a designated public place in the future.
Why 7,000 sample of sands? Because that represents 100 beaches bordering the 70 seas registered by the IFREMER (French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea) around the planet.
MISSION OBJECTIVE
"BALTICA ATLANTICA", my Walking Tour of Europe, started in September 2016 from Muxía on the Atlantic coast of Spain. I planned to walk 15,000 km, through 18 countries, largely following the coasts of Europe as much as possible. My pilgrimage along the coastlines is to explain this art project.
I have been pushing a Swedish-made ‘VELOPED’, my Medical Walker, loaded with 120 kg of kit; and including The Cube ~ which is filled with 1000 samples of sands collected from around the World. An astronaut, Jean-François CLERVOY, has already paid me the honour of taking The Cube into space, to weightlessness ~ for my art project "Solitary Tides". His mission was a part of the 111th mission of the European Aerospace Agency with Novespace on the Airbus A310 ZERO-G; using parabolic flight for tests and research recreating equivalents of Lunar & Martian gravities.
THE FACTS
Thus far I have 1667 samples of sands ~ taken by me or collected and sent from all over the world. By 2014 the first 1000 sands samples had been sent to me. The Cube stores those in 1000 cryogenic microtubes; overall measuring 50 X 50 X 50 cm and weighing 25kg. This was as carried on that mission in Airbus A310 ZERO-G by the French astronaut.
In 2007, to mark the arrival of our one-hundredth sand phial, the French National Monuments Centre allowed me to use the cellar of the Abbey at world-famous Mont-Saint-Michel for the first international exhibition of “Solitary Tides".
In 2016, a Swedish company sponsored and equipped my TRIONIC Medical Walker named "VELOPED", not because I am handicapped, but to allow me to tour on foot around the European coastlines with The Cube.
Also in 2016, during the last Jubilee Period this century for the Cathedral of Puy-en-Velay, France, I was officially recognised in that Cathedral’s Museum of Pilgrims. My archives and Moleskine notebooks were registered there ~ classified as ‘Universal Heritage’.
On 19th September, 2016, I landed at the airport for Santiago de Compostela to start the 2 years it has taken walking northward to reach STOCKHOLM. From the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela (late 2016); and via CANTERBURY Cathedral in England (April 2018); eventually to reach the Cathedral at UPPSALA in Sweden (24th November, 2018). There one finds shrines founded by the parents of St. Bridget to their daughter and to Eric the Holy ~ the patron saint of Sweden. Birgitta or St Bridget of Sweden is one of six patron saints of Europe, and a patron saint of Pilgrims. At Uppsala I received a blessing for The Cube ~ especially for all the folk who had collected and sent sand samples for me.
I have planned my return route from Scandinavia back to the Iberian Peninsula over 3 years, with 6 months walking per year, from 2019 to 2021. I will sleep mainly in cemeteries like a soldier, with RESPECT. I will be going around the Baltic before crossing Europe to join the Adriatic, the Tyrrhenian Sea and finally the Mediterranean.
After 2 years of walking, I resume my mission from Sweden in June 2019. I will be returning southwards eventually to Santiago de Compostela; heading across Europe ~ via the Baltic States, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic and Austria, then into Italy southwards to Rome.
From there I will then cross Sardinia and around the Mediterranean en route to Spain. Crossing Spain I will return via Santiago de Compostela and then back to Muxía and the Atlantic.
In Muxía I will also be making an offering to thank all those people who collected and donated their sands for me. The ‘Virgin of the Boat’ or ‘Our Lady of the Boat’ is the name of Muxía’s best loved sanctuary, welcoming pilgrims at the very end of the Camino de Finisterre and Muxía ~ the Camino route west from Santiago de Compostela … to the very edge of the Atlantic Ocean. I will offer The Cube to remain there for future generations, in the Sanctuary by the Ocean.
Historically, I am
doing the so-called "return of the heritage paths of Santiago de
Compostela".
MY REQUEST:
For all Europeans, for this major walk from Scandinavia back to Santiago de Compostela, can you help me along the way, if you can?
A 21st Century Pilgrim by Nigel Bentley
It was a chance meeting in Milton Street that brought me to chat briefly with Jean-François Aillet. Our exercise group members were just leaving our fitness studio to head for homes, on Tuesday afternoon of the second week of April. Out of the shadows along the lane appeared a colourful trolley with a sun-shade canopy on four metal masts … and above all a display of red flags.
Thus, we met Jean-François, pushing his Medical Walker or ‘Veloped’, along the lane towards us … and so towards the A27. We did wonder what it was! The days of itinerant knife sharpeners, onion sellers or organ grinders are generally a couple of decades into our past.
Jean-François stopped and we chatted. I took a couple of photographs of the Pilgrim with his BALTICA-ATLANTICA craft … and in so doing passed on advice that he best not try to push the ‘Veloped’ along the A27 heading towards Polegate, at least not until he reaches Wilmington, where pavement begins!
So, a chance encounter and after two or three minutes Jean-François turned in the lane and headed back the way he had come. Ever since, I have been following this Pilgrim’s Progress via his facebook blog … complete with so many pictures. He also has his website where you can find out more ~ www.aillet.com.
Jean-François describes himself as : a Pilgrim, walker, sculptor and designer; certainly also a writer and photographer. He is in the second of a three-year walking pilgrimage of Europe, that he has styled as ‘BALTICA ATLANTICA’.
He will be completing 15,000 km through 17 countries, and all to the rhythm of the walk, pushing a Medical Walker of Swedish-manufacture. He has also been collecting the sands of the seas of the world ~ for his Solitary Tides Project.
To that end he is also now
presenting The Cube … containing 1,000 small specimens of
sands from around the beaches of the world. He lives a
seemingly nomadic life, or has done for the last couple of
years ~ and in his lifetime has hitched and travelled in
various ways around much of Europe covering approaching
60,000 km by his records.
Jean-François is a very modern-day Pilgrim, armed not only with a staff and a scallop shell, but also with his ‘Medical Veloped’ designed and made in Sweden ~ a company from Stockholm. This craft is now kitted out as if to sail the seas, with masts, flags, a canopy, steering ropes, and a decking to carry not only his luggage, bivouac, food, essentials and water, but also ‘The Cube’ that was held by an astronaut (Jean-François CLERVOY ~ a veteran of three NASA Space Shuttle missions) and passed on to Jean-François, our Pilgrim. The Cube alone weighs in at about 25kg … to be pushed along, and up, and down his route! Jean-François also has his Pilgrim Passport, that records his pilgrimage formally, for the special sites he has visited, or the established trek routes completed.
The Cube contains 1,000 small phials of sand from beaches around the world. Many he has collected himself, others were donated to his ‘Solitary Tides Project’ from a vast collection held by research scientist, Stéphane Besnard ~ stored in a loft and donated to Jean-François … as a mass of boxes containing 30 or so plastic bottles each.
So, back in April, one month ago, Jean-François left us, and left Milton Street via Back Lane and headed up The Butts (byway), sloping sharply up to reach The Street. This was his amended route to bring him more safely to Wilmington village! There he was captivated by the Church, the Long Man and the Priory remnant. That afternoon and into early evening Jean-François explored and photographed the church with the yew tree, in particular. He then retired to the Giants Rest for his supper (a trend I noticed to be still popular as he journeyed eastwards a few days later!). Such interludes give a chance to meet local people, to talk and to consider the philosophy of regions and countries, and their peoples.
His pilgrimage has involved him with not only cathedrals already in several countries, but also the small local churches. His route started in 2017 from Valencia … heading west across Spain, via Madrid to Santiago; and then north on the Santiago de Compostela route. He pushed the Veloped north following the ancient Camino Way in reverse, up through the Pyrenees on its link into France. He completed his wanderings for 2017 back at his home ~ spending last winter in Basse Normandie.
On April the 1st this year, he resumed with a ferry crossing into Portsmouth. When we met him he was several days into his eastwards traverse of the English south coast, heading gradually towards Ashford and then Canterbury (a key part of his pilgrimage) and then to Dover before heading on … but sufficient background, I believe.
In Wilmington he found not only the church and the Giants Rest pub, but the following morning he met a lady he came to call his ‘new mum’; and she served him with at least once splendid full English Breakfast at her home. Photographs of that breakfast prepared by ‘Margaret of Wilmington’ appeared on Jean-François’ facebook blog; and his many friends from around the world were in awe of what they saw. Margaret may well have other travellers pitching up to see her in the hope of similar fare in the years to come!
Our Pilgrim stayed in the vicinity of Margaret’s garden, I believe, for a further two nights before heading off again on his travels. Since the middle of April we have been following him on Facebook. From Wilmington over the next three to four days he headed along the coast to Bexhill and Hastings; eventually arriving at Ashford before heading north up to Canterbury.
In Canterbury Jean-François received special recognition of his pilgrimage, a certificate and special marks or stamps on his Pilgrims Passport. From there south to Dover over several days ~ meeting yet more interest and welcomes, drinks and meals bought for him of an evening, and invitations to pitch his bivouac on private ground. Quite often he has set up his bivouac for a night in churchyards as well, faithfully photographing the particulars and sculptures of the church.
I believe the current pilgrimage he’s involved with will see him reaching Stockholm by late summer to early autumn of this year. There he will overwinter; running an exhibition and conferences as well as writing to support himself through the winter. For 2019, he will resume his Pilgrimage of the coasts of Europe in travelling through a small section of Finland and then down through Poland and the Baltic countries before heading south across Europe to reach Italy. From there, the plan is take a ferry to Sardinia; and so further ferries to the Balearics, before finishing back in Valencia.
This is a three year, mammoth walk-project : and I can report that now, at the end of the first week of May, our Pilgrim has travelled not only through France but now completed his journey to the north-east along the coast of Belgium; and within the last day or so has arrived in the Netherlands.
It has to be said that he was REALLY impressed with the welcome received in most countries along the way, particularly so in England, and in his home country of France … and he loves it now he’s back in Holland. However, he was not fond of Belgium in the same way; although he loved the sculptures all the way along the coastal strip. He did not have much to say of ‘good’ regarding Belgium, or the Flemish in particular : mentioning a complete lack of welcome or interest in his venture; little or no fellowship received, hand shakes offered etc.; and so in complete contrast to almost everywhere else.
In this year, still to come his
passage through Germany and the coast of Denmark, over ‘The
Bridge’ & then through southern Sweden to Stockholm.
"The Solitary of tides"
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Jean-Francois Aillet has invited 7,000 people from every part of the world to collect as many samples of sand from 7,000 beaches. A major portion of the sand collected will be merged into a large sculpture called «Solitary of tides». It will be placed at the top of his project: «Le Solitaire … des marées». This unique monument will be erected in a designated public place in the future.
The artist Jean-Francois Aillet invites you to collect your sample from: a moraine, next to a waterfall, beside a river, along the shore of a lake or a stream, a desert, the border of an ocean. An exception, sands from a construction site are not involved. Please, join to your sample a photo, taken while pouring the sand into the little container. Yet, Jean-François Aillet has received 1650 samples. Everybody is welcome to participate at his project.
Safeguarding the memory of
our coastline and beaches
If you want to contribute to this exciting project, Jean-Francois Aillet 10 Allée des Tilleuls F-14860 Amfréville / Normandie FRANCE Europe
Phone : 0033(0)643 128 229 e-mail : aillet@aillet.com |
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«Le solitaire… des marées»
The artist intends to create «Le solitaire… des marées» (the solitary of tides), a 15-meters high glass and water sculpture resting on a 2,500 m² plane surface elaborated with the 7,000 types of sand collected around the world. This sort of totem pole is covered with glass plates arranged in a way that makes a reflection of light on the work at any time of the day, a coloured liquid moves up and down with the tides. For this project, the visionary architect has designed a calculator and a pump to recreate life-size tides every day while the tip of the pole would record the mark of the highest tide of the current lunar cycle. The project is ambitious and he invites the public to choose a beach and to collect half a liter of sand, without forgetting to take a photo of them collecting it. «Tell me who you are, tell me the history of the place where you have collected the sand and send all of this to me by post», says the artist. Since 2005, more than 1650 sands have been sent to him from around the planet. From Easter Island to Finland, through Australia, Bolivia and Peru. And even from the Utah desert, where five astronauts and scientists from the European Space Agency who were undergoing training for the project to establish an inhabited station on Mars took the time to send him some sand. The essence of the project itself is to encourage participation from around the world. «My objective is to create a place regrouping sand from seas all around the world. At a time when ocean water levels are rising, some sands will be disappearing. My intention is to create a library of raw materials so as to create a universal heritage for future generations.»
A heritage library The various types of sand collected will be stored in a place which will be opened to the general public, who will be able to watch the collection as it grows and admire the immense hundred-meter fresco made of the photos of the sand collectors from the world over!
A Philosopher’s Prism However rest is not on the agenda for tireless creator Jean-François Aillet as is already working on another, also amazing project called «Le Solitaire... des marées». He will be collecting 7,000 sands from the beaches of the 70 known seas on our planet’s surface, mix them and heat them to over 2,000°C to create a glass plate. «A diamond» will be cut from the glass plate and positionned on the summit of the «Solitaire... des marées». My goal is to recreate artificially the cycle of the tides and their dynamics. During night tides, a laser beam from the base of the structure will hit the diamond, a sort of philosopher’s prism». Here too, several technological challenges will have to be met to achieve another highly symbolic work by a man who has kept the ability to be enthusiastic.
To contribute your grain
of sand
Jean-François Aillet
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