600° - Forest of sand and ashes
> From April 1st to September 28th, 2025
Forest of pines in a desert of sand, forest subject to fire in swamps, the moor of Gascogne has always lived with the possibility of fire. Since the plantations of the Second Empire, fire has been both the greatest threat and an integral part of the poetry, tragedy, and grandeur of this deceptively calm landscape. The Bordeaux-based photography collective LesAssociés has sought to unveil the intimate connection between fire and this unified yet complex territory. Through the eyes of artists and residents, they explore the wave of wildfires that ravaged the Landes forest in the summer of 2022, destroying 30,000 hectares of pine forest and displacing 50,000 people.
Former tenant farmers and new suburban settlers, territorial engineers and fire professionals—these figures cross paths under the lense of the artists, whose perspectives range from lyrical to documentary. They tell the story of the day after, when beneath the fallen ash, embers still smolder, questioning the past and present of this land, its vulnerabilities, and the challenges it faces to regenerate and reinvent itself once more.
Designed as a multifaceted exhibition by LesAssociés and the Ecomuseum of Marquèze, this event showcases the photographers' work alongside original contemporary art pieces in various media. It also features historical objects that recount the history of firefighting in the Landes de Gascogne.
Land development in the Landes de Gascogne
This permanent exhibition retraces the history of land development in the Landes de Gascogne from the 19th century to the present day. Explore the key stages of a veritable conquest through several exhibition rooms. Once composed mainly of open moorland used by shepherds and farmers, the landscape was brutally transformed during the 19th century to become what is now the largest industrial forest in Europe. This upheaval of the landscape was accompanied by a profound change in local society.