In the Hortillonnages, it is common practice to give the plot the name of its owner.  An irony of fate, as the owners of this island, who were very  difficult to find, were actually called Monsieur and Madame Perdu! The geographical location of their property, in the centre of the étang de Clermont, makes it an ideal observation point for the changes in the Hortillonnages, which since the 1980s has seen its market garden identity evolve towards the cultivation of little gardens. The île Perdu (e) project supports this metamorphosis: preserving the existing piece of the island, the landscape designers chose to restore the banks by interweaving living willows, refashioning the surface of the island of yesteryear. This “stitching” work in several stages helps to register the impact of time. The new bank is planted and is crossed via barges in Corten steel, which direct the view and allow access by boat. Visitors can then explore the island as if it was an open book, a “pop-up” book of headstones. In the centre of the island, a cabin has been restored as a “souvenir shop”. Here you can find souvenir post cards, to spread the message of the island well beyond its banks:  “the landscape, a living monument”.

Guided tour with the Picardy Museum

5th, 12th, 19th & 26th of July / 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23th, 30th of August
Booking recommanded on 00 33 (0) 22 97 14 00
Meeting Point at the Picardy Museum, 48 rue de la République, Amiens at 2 pm, for each visit.

Born in 1976 and 1977 respectively, Astrid Verspieren and Elyse Ragueneau are two landscape designers whose careers have followed similar paths: they met at the Paris Ecole Supérieure d’architecture des Jardins, a training which they then completed with urban planning studies at the Ecole d’architecture La Villette.  Their closeness grew in the course of many travels – one year backpacking in Asia – which encouraged them to collaborate together as part of the Amiens Hortillonnages festival. Since, new artists collaborate to the project : Xavier Dumont, Stig Evans, Alinah Azadeh and Samuel Rousseau.