IRIS OLIÉ

The Domaine du Merle en Crau is an agriculture domain, in the natural reserve of the Coussoul de Crau. They produce the first AOC hay (Appellation d’origine protégé/ Protected origin designation). They welcome regularly public activities, that why they created an assignment for the ENSP during my first year(2015/2016) to design a path through the domain to welcome the visitors.

The path that I proposed in the Domaine du Merle, crosses different landscapes. This walk is accessible for many people and doesn’t jeopardize the agricultural activities, nor the learning occurring on the domain by the agriculture students. The experience offers many perspectives and viewpoints, arousing surprises, intrigues, questionings, knowledge, and desires.

This path highlights the seasons affecting human activities, gives rhythm. I named the swamp the Gardance because it means ‘observance’ in the Occitan language. My design is focused on three different periods, to shows how water creates the landscape. Dried up in winter, full in summer, he over emerges in a short-lived way during the ‘’Cévenole’’ periods in autumn. Thanks to hay’s culture of Crau, the pond is full because of the gravity irrigation. During the winter period, the swamp looks like a dry desert with the retracted clay.

This path is adapted to a different kind of landscapes that it crosses. In the ponds, it’s a raised wooden path, which can be used at each season. The canals are transformed into a path that permits to be oriented. They can be practicing on the banks during the water season, or inside the canal during the dry season. This maintains the conditions of the canal to don’t be vegetated, thanks to the people trampling.