Spirits of the Huveaune

The Spirits of the Huveaune (Chemin des Fées) is a parcours of five permanent public sculptures 'Spirits' that map the presence of the Huveaune, a coastal river in eastern Provence that originates in the massif of Sainte Baume and flows into the Mediterranean Sea at Marseille, France. The spirit sculptures 'genii loci' invest five locations along the riverbanks and weave an unprecedented link between the past and the present, as they invite visitors to discover a 30km trail along the Huveaune valley and new ways to explore the history of the valley.

Drawing from a research process involving historians and the local community, the historical texts, legends, myths and stories surrounding the foundation of Marsillia, the ancient port of Marseille, recount the strong feminine presence associated with the valley of the Huveaune. The title attributed to the work, Spirits of the Huveaune, also refers to the universal water cycle and raise public awareness of environmental issues related to the river’s fate, questioning water management in the future, here as elsewhere.