THE ATLANTIC WALL

frederic fourdinier

«The Atlantic Wall» is the regrouping of several works carried out during 2003-2006 with the subject of the Atlantic Wall. Erected during the Second World War by the Nazi army along the Atlantic coast between Narvik (Norway) and Hendaye (France), this «wall» consisted of a multitude of bunkers supposed to prevent a landing. This work proposes a questioning about the buildings that the man can build to delimit his territory, to protect it and what can generate or cause these forms visually, when we perceive them independently of their landscape context.

A very personal theme. Influenced very young by family military influences; great grandfather commander in the French army, grandfather having served in the maquis and who bought several bunkers to attach his house near Boulogne sur mer (1). My immersion in these aerostatic constructions and the visit of several sites recounting these historical facts were the starting point of my reflection on the concept of territory and the impact of our activities on the landscape.

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STP 259S 449R 688TobroukR 51 a

DIE ATLANTIKWALL

Set of 5 military cases (reconstructions of time) each including the small-scale molding, concrete, internal spaces of bunkers, each bearing a serial number.

These boxes were intended for the transport of sensitive ammunition, their internal organization adapting to the volume that it had to contain. On this principle, the moldings of the living spaces of the bunkers have generated the shape of the internal components of the body. The gray color is chosen by mimicry with concrete. Its application has been reversed. The presentation device of the work highlights the different components of sculpture and their reference to modernist sculpture.

DIE ATLANTIKWALL 2003

380x100x30 cm - béton bois acrylique

presentation subjective

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«Die Atlantikwall», concrete, wooden crates / Grandson of an Atlantic Wall bunker owner, Frédéric Fourdinier is fascinated by the architectural features of these buildings - celebrated in «Bunker Archeology» - which are literally integral parts of a device of life and death, as well as «machines of vision» and now anachronistic marks of the coastal landscape. Continuing the reflection on these plastic objects having lost all initial use, he wonders about the interior space of these robust constructions, and leads to the conclusion of materializing the hollow space ... in the material itself of the bunker! It thus reveals what is hidden: an organization with subdivision governed by the requirements of protection and the imperative to see without being seen. Cast in monoblocks and reduced, the resulting sculptures are presented (protected) in transport cases directly inspired by those used at the time for ammunition.] Raymond Balau

S 449box

38,5 x 60 x 30 cm

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R 51 abox

32 x 35 x 30 cm

Tobroukbox

30 x 38 x 30 cm

R 688box

38 x 39 x 30 cm

STP 259box

41 x 61 x 30 cm

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R 51 a9 x14,5 x17 cm

Tobrouk18 x 14 x 13 cm

R 68821,5 x 20 11 cm

STP 25941 x 22 x 10 cm

S 44940 x 16 x 10 cm

detail of the pieces

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[ NARVIK - HENDAYE ]

[Narvik - Hendaye] is a set of glued gouaches on wood made from pictures of war bunkers 39-45 collected on the internet.

A desire to present frontally rigid architectural forms, aerostatic with the natural elements that escape the drawing. These masses of concrete are isolated from their environment to be nothing more than graphic forms underlining an ambiguity between «abstract» architectural references and nature.

The order of set up and the dimensions are random, adapted to the space, but having the rigor of an alignment proper to the military spirit.

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[ Narvik - Hendaye ] 2005-2006“ the atlantic wall”335x235x2cm - 272 pièces de 10x15x2 cm - gouache on paper glued on wood

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Prize of the Government of the French Community, contest Médiatine, Bruxelles 2006

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COAST TO COAST

A section of the «path of the Jews» in Hardelot taken at random. Built partly by Jewish and indigenous deportees, it connected and supplied blockhouses with men, ammunition and materials.

The silhouette is redrawn on a real scale on a wall or similar support.

A reference to cartography referring to the cuts of the Atlantic coast serving as a line of defense.

COAST TO COAST 2006«the atlantic wall»variable dimensions - wall painting

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Hurdles

A series of 5 drawings representing the main anti-tank and anti-landing obstacles deployed on the beaches.

Hurdles2006 5 sizes of 63 x 42 cm -gouache on paperunframed

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Bibliographie de recherche

� Chazette Alain :

� 1940-1944, Les batteries allemandes, de Dunkerque au Crotoy éditions Heimdal 1990

� La Batterie Lindemann éditions Histoire & Fortifications, 2001

� Delefosse Yannick et Chantal, La Batterie Todt

� Gamelin Paul, Le Mur de l’Atlantique - Les blockhaus de l’illusoire éditions Daniel & Cie 1974

� Le Maner Yves,Aubert Stéphane, Sandras Jean-Loup, Le «mur de l ‘atlantique» sur les côtes du Nord Pas de Calais édité par le musée la coupole, 2006

� Virilio Paul, Bunker archéologie éditions Demi-cercle,1994

� Divers documents et plans dans les bibliothèques militaires française, Belge et familliale.

Frédéric Fourdinierné en 1976 à Boulogne sur mer Francevit et travaille : condette(France) / Bruxelles (Belgique)F - 00 33 6 31 94 60 46B - 00 32 4 86 18 40 92frederic.fourdinier@gmail.comwww.frederic-fourdinier.com

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Exhibitions2017Ars Electronica - White Circle - exhibition - Linz, Autriche (collective)

A gorge sèche, après la traversée - Currator: Mehdi-Georges Lahlou - festival - Tourinnes-la-grosse (B)

Plateform 1 - Allegrarte - exhibition - Bruxelles (collective)

Alpha & Omega,Principium et Finis - White Circle - exhibition - Bruxelles (collective)

Walking through exploding dandelions - art space Frederic Collier - exhibition - Bruxelles (solo)

2016Ex nihilo, nihil fit out of nothing, nothing comes - White Circle - exhibition - Bruxelles (collective)

The «Halle Verriére de Meisenthal» (CADHAM) «Christmas for ever», exhibition, Meisenthal (collective)

ORIENTA contemporary art festival «A l’angle des possibles» :metastability, Oujda -Jerada (Marocco)

st Josse art school - presentation and exhibition METASTABILITY Oujda-Jerada (B)

Art residence - Hopital de Liessies - territory and plants - 1 mons (Fr)

Art residence 2015 2016 - north of France - 4 month - multiculturality, culinary and territory (Fr)

2015INDENT exhibition - Brussel - «the société electrique» (collective)

Speaker to scenography workshop - ENSAVE La Cambre - Bruxelles

Scénography project with the «Felicidad» compagny (Barcelone) - Arles, Avignon, Paris

Performance - «less is more» in Auvergne - 15 days - 13 persons

and the «alpes de haute provence» - 5 days - 3 persons

Art residence 2015 2016 - north of France - 4 month - multiculturality, culinary and territory

2014INCISE - Charleroi - «metastability» (solo)

BPS 22 (hors les mur) - Lessines (belgique)- exhibition «Adenda» (collective)

Atelier FG - Diedendorf - « le triangle des bermudes » (collective)

art center MDB - exposition : L’herbier marcher, classer, nommer le paysage - Sains du nord (collec-tive)

Art residence - MDB - Sains du Nord - 3 mois - exhibition (solo)

Education

1998-2003National School of Visual Arts of «La Cambre», Brussels (B)Department of Urban and Rural Areas (Light, Space, Colour)

1995-1998school of Beaux-Arts - Tournai (B)

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workshop art and culinary design - Comines - hôtellerie Notre-Dame de la Lys

Performance « less is more » - bruxelles - «farm truck» (park design) et «Bxl wild life»

2013Workshop - the «CAIRN» Contemporary Art center «Digne les Bains» (F)

Performance - «less is more» in the «alpes de haute provence» - 6 days - 6 persons

Art Brussels (art fair) - Anyspace Gallery

Contempory art space - les femmes de la Barthelasse- «two approaches» - Avignon (F) - with Ilka Kra-mer

The «CAIRN» Contemporary Art center «Digne les Bains» (F) - performance - « Cooking on the Wild Side »

A-PART international festival of contemporary art - alpille provence (F)

Cooking performance - Collaboration with the young chef Edward Cristaudo - «atelier des sens»

2012Anyspace Gallery - Bruxelles - Darkaesth - (collective)Gallery «Un Lieu Une Oeuvre» - Ménerbes - «Disruption» Anyspace Gallery - Brussels - performance - «Cooking on the Wild Side»Gallery Landscapes - Avignon - «plants make trouble» - (collective)Anyspace Gallery - Brussels - «in memoriam» - (solo)Centre for Contemporary Art Workshop - Apt - LSBB project - «dis / / / appearence»

partnership artist / scientists - residence and solo

2011Anyspace Gallery - Brussels - «coming soon» - (collective)

L’escaut - Brussels - «you are here» - Commissioner Fred Collier - (collective)

Contemporary Art Gallery of Saint Etienne les orgues - (solo)

Gallery Landscapes - Avignon - «we come from nature, but ... «- Festival d’Avignon - (solo)

Robespierre Gallery - Grand synthe - «naturalness» - conference - (solo)

2005 -2010 selectionTampopo Gallery - Avignon - «remember you, a tree» - (solo)

CEPAGRAP - Saint Die des Vosges - International Festival géographis - (solo)

Grenier à sel - Avignon - (collective)

Contemporary Art Gallery of the Mediatheque Forbach - «deforestation» - (solo)

Frédéric Desimpel Gallery - Brussels - (collective)

CODE magazine - Bruxelles (collective)

The art center Vénerie - Brussels - « in/former 2 » - (collective)

Artist residency at the Musee de la Faience and exhibition (solo)- Desvres

Street Promenade - Lausanne - urban intervention (collective)

Frédéric Desimpel Gallery - Brussels (solo)

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