The island of Nantes

Embraced in the arms of the Loire river, this district of Nantes lies opposite the historical centre. Marked by the history of shipbuilding sites, including two remains of "Titan" cranes, the île de Nantes is currently at the heart of a vast urban project.
  

The island’s machines
The gallery of machines is exhibited on the former shipbuilding site and conjures up the imagination of Jules Verne and the inventive genius of Léonard de Vinci. The brainchild of French artists François Delarozière and Pierre Orefice, who both worked with the Nantes "Royal de Luxe" company to design these emblematic and spectacular machines (the Rhinoceros, the little giant, the giraffes...), this initiative has given birth to a magical world. The lantern of the depths, giant reverse-propelling squid, manta ray, the tempest boat, and more...: watch the machine operators bring these animals to life, each machine is more surprising than the next! The great elephant is 12-metres high and weighs 45 tons, and will invite you to take a ride around the island on its back. In 2010, find out the new machines : the Grouper fish, the giraffe-tortoise, the walnut shell.
Visit the workshop where the machines are created to see what it is like backstage where they create these astonishing constructions.
www.lesmachines-nantes.fr