PARADEISOS

FROM THE GREEK: “Park, place planted with trees where animals are cared for”.

FROM THE Moorish S.O.S.: “Distress signal, urgent call for help for a person or for biodiversity...”. What if Paradise wasn't a place, but a relationship, a relationship with others, with living things? And what if it were a pact of peace that came to life when there were many of us?

« Walking in the footsteps of Jean Delacour, taking up Colette's story, is Caroline Desnoëttes' humble proposal. With an itinerary punctuated by viewpoints in the park, where you can stroll “à la manière de” and discover the animals in their intimacy, even regular visitors will find something new to see in this living space. The emblematic tapestry of this exhibition, created using a novel technique, faithfully renders the diversity of nature and its rich palette of nuances, thanks to nearly 30,000 inks and natural earths on mulberry fiber paper. In addition to this colorful aurora borealis, the nest entwined with local linen refers to the symbolic starting point of Jean Delacour's love of nature and birds, when he was around three years old. An artificial paradise, the Park is a terrestrial paradise where the Paradeisos exhibition will open in 2025.""

Bertrand Bellanger, President of the Seine-Maritime Department

« At the heart of the Clères wildlife and botanical park, where fauna, flora and history are intertwined in a fragile balance, the artistic work “Paradeisos” by Caroline Desnoëttes, a committed and resolutely optimistic artist, finds a very special resonance. The park invites itself into the walls of the château. In the center of the salon, in an artificial plant setting, a monumental landscape, a tapestry of the living laid down by Caroline Desnoëttes, rests the nest, a symbol of life and a tribute to Jean Delacour. This landscape populated by mysterious hybrids plunges us into a sensitive and poetic exploration of the legacy left by this great naturalist. Outside, a dozen stations mark out your route. Through oculi, your gaze will be guided to the history and treasures of the park, revealing its riches from a new angle. This project celebrates the beauty and fragility of the Parc de Clères, a veritable “earthly paradise” imagined by Jean Delacour, and more broadly that of nature and biodiversity, at a time when their decline is accelerating... Witness to a rich past and a future to be preserved, the park becomes the stage for an encounter between art and science, observation and imagination. This immersive approach gives voice to every tree, every animal, every building, revealing our shared history. This work is an invitation to contemplate, to marvel, to understand what surrounds us, so that these unique heritages - animal, botanical and historical - continue to inspire future generations.""

Paul-Franck Thérain, Director of Parc de Clères

“Caroline Desnoëttes takes over the premises that were the birthplace not only of the dreams and writings, but also of the many scientific expeditions around the world of the eminent Franco-American naturalist and ornithologist Jean Delacour. In a single glance, visitors can see the extent of his journey from the resources of Normandy to the treasures of his distant travels. One enters the exhibition as one might enter one's own head, filled with vivid colors and living species. This room, once the epicenter of the formidable imagination and work behind his botanical and animal collection, is now teeming with dozens of original, dreamlike works. Inspired by the artificial paradise conceived by Jean Delacour, another paradeisos has blossomed, of ink, natural earth and paper, tropical plants, sand, linen, sound recordings and hybrid creatures. The exhibition reminds us that we are part of a living whole that must be cherished. The artist blurs tracks and boundaries, to show Clères at leg height in oculi that seem to have grown on the spot, to invite you to nest amidst birdsong, to imagine hybrid relatives, to contemplate the beauty of landscapes and those who inhabit them. A true artist of peace, Caroline Desnoëttes proposes to create without destroying, using the valley's materials and resources, natural shapes and hues, and slow, energy-saving processes. Through her works, she offers a covenant with the living.""

Ronan de la Croix, Exhibition curator

• Bertrand Bellanger, President of the Seine-Maritime Department
• Patrick Teissère, Vice-President in charge of Culture, Public Reading, Heritage and Decentralized Cooperation
• Sandra Prédine-Ballerie, Director of Culture and Heritage, Département de la Seine-Maritime
• Paul-Franck Thérain, Director, Parc animalier et botanique de Clères
>Anthony Cuissette, Communications and Development Officer
• The entire team at the Department of Culture and Heritage, and in particular the Parc de Clères, who worked to bring this exhibition to fruition.
• The Direction de la Communication, de l'Information et de l'Évènementiel (Communication, Information and Events Department) for producing the graphic and visual supports.
• The Imprimerie Départementale for printing the exhibition materials.
• Ronan de la Croix, Exhibition curator, scenography and texts
• Thierry Aubin, Bio-acoustician (CNRS)
• Fabrice Gaboriau, Photographer
• Depestele Group
• Emile Roux hospital from Limeil Brevanne (APHP)