The Serpent d’Océan is an extraordinary metal sculpture located on the Saint-Brevin-les-Pins beach, a small French town located at the edge of the Loire estuary which connects to the Atlantic Ocean. This permanent installation represents the skeleton of a huge prehistoric snake that is somewhat playful with the tides.
This impressive ocean snake is the work of Chinese artist Huang Yong Ping, created for the Voyage à Nantes Festival for the Estuaire 2012 contemporary art exhibition. The artist’s message is often that of the duality of destructive impulse and creative talent. This animal is linked to Chinese mythology and delivers a message in support of environmental protection.
The 130 meter long skeleton is made entirely of aluminum and terrifyingly seems to emerge from the seabed. The sinuous movement of its vertebrae creates the illusion of a living creature, as if it wanted to rise from the ocean’s waters to appear or disappear at the rhythms of the tide.
