The work of the “Collectif Escargo” is inspired by the Iroquois legend of the three sisters. Among the Amerindians, the three sisters are the spirits of corn, squash and beans, three plants that, by growing on the mother earth’s grave, allowed her two newborns to be fed, thus ensuring the survival of humanity. Behind the legend, there is a lesson in agriculture: cultivated together, this vegetable trio represents a self-sufficient mini-ecosystem. The corn stalks act as canes allowing the beans to rise towards the light, while the beans fix nitrogen in the ground thus enriching the land. The squash produces a carpet of leaves which help to retain humidity at the base of the plants. Borrowed from the Americans, this ancestral technique is mixed here with one of Picardy, wicker weaving: assembled on a metal frame, three different varieties arise from a stream to follow the outline of an island. Taking support from the undulating vegetation, the three sisters grow, closely entwined.

Under the banner of the “Collectif Escargo” is a group of artists, designers and landscapers based in Montreal and in Bordeaux. In this resolutely multidisciplinary group, the quality of exchanges and emotions is perceived as essential to creation. The following group worked on this project: Julie Ambal (landscape artist, born in 1987), Pierre-Yves Diehl (designer, born in 1984) Julie Parenteau (art teacher, born in 1979) and Karyna Saint-Pierre (landscape artist, born in 1980). They all worked on the same research for the poetry and make believe of a place.