The Site Transitoire

Installed in 1993 in one of the most iconic locations of the Crete Senesi, near the Geosito Naturalistico delle Biancane di Leonina, the Transitory Site consists of three main elements: a chair, a sarcophagus, and a window, all in dialogue with each other and nature: a chair to welcome the passerby, a bench, and a window oriented to catch the last ray of sunlight at the sunset of the summer solstice. It is on the day of the summer solstice that the sun descends into the vertical plane of the large stone window. A slab placed on the ground near the chair bears the title of the work and the subtitle "Summer Sunset."

“For a long time, I sought to place three familiar attitudes in space—Seated / Standing / Lying down—and then to create them in stone so that they could interact with each other in the solitude and silence of a natural place. By placing these stones on a chosen hill in the heart of the Crete Senesi in Tuscany, between Siena and Asciano, I realized that they drew in light and space the boundaries of a house: a dwelling with an invisible threshold. On the ground, some slabs, a chair, a bench, a window, and the sky as the roof. Thanks to the appearances of the moon and the sun, the shadow of this stone furniture traced its path on the ground, telling, night and day, an immobile journey. On the summer solstice, in the vertical plane of the stone window, the sun disc disappears behind the hills. The lights of the city of Siena turn on, and, in the sky, the first star. The Transitory Site: some carved stones that rise and set.” Jean-Paul Philippe

The elements are anthropomorphic, reminiscent of the human figure in its sitting, lying, and standing postures:

In the monumental chair, the bones of the human pelvis are faintly suggested. The empty chair is a call to presence, an invitation to sit. The last ray of the summer sunset hits a small triangular mirror placed at the bottom of the chair. At the top of the chair, a hole allows the visitor to look through it to the center of the window. The backrest of the chair recalls the same human shape found in the bench and the void of the window.
In the bench (or sarcophagus), the human figure lying down may still be wrapped in bandages. A phrase from the book "Ecclesiasticus," a poetic text from the Bible, is inscribed on the bench: "With the rising sun, with the setting sun."
In the void of the window, there is a human frame in absence. The space of the window exactly mirrors the volume of the bench/sarcophagus. The monumental window is made of four elements, each of which has an inscribed number. Numbers and letters are recurring elements in Jean-Paul Philippe's works. At the top, in the center, there is a quarter of the moon. To the right, an inscription from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream: "The mud has invaded the courtyard where the children of the hopscotch game used to gather, and the wild herbs erase the delicate traces of the abandoned labyrinth." On the right and left sides of the window are two labyrinths: the first is a hopscotch game, a game that actually recreates a labyrinth and symbolizes the human journey and its adventures in the world. It has been a common game throughout the Mediterranean since antiquity. The second is a very simple labyrinth, also ancient, and, interestingly, it also appears in Charlemagne's throne.
A stone labyrinth, installed on the ground in the central part of the work, is in dialogue with the two labyrinths of the window.
Beyond the window, there is a slab and a broken solar wheel in two parts.

Jean-Paul Philippe (Paris, 1944) is a renowned French sculptor. From the age of 16, he attended the Beaux-Arts in Paris without ever wishing to be attached to the workshop of any master. In 1960, he made his first trip to Italy and stayed there for more than a year to study drawing and painting in Florence, thanks to a work contract that gave him access to the Uffizi's drawing cabinet. Around 1973, he arrived in Carrara, where he discovered the impressive marble quarries and the skill of the local artisans. Sculpture became his preferred means of expression, a free work that does not proclaim itself aligned with any group, school, or system: an inner archaeology where only encounters and travels leave their marks.

Winner of several international awards, he has held numerous exhibitions and created monumental works around the world.

In the 1980s, the artist found himself in the Crete Senesi looking for a suitable stone for a work he was creating: the monumental sculpture Entre Terre et Ciel Tour Méridienne, installed in Brussels. While exploring the territory during the plowing season, he was fascinated by the surrounding landscape. Leaving, he promised to pay tribute to the uniqueness of this territory by one day creating a work dedicated to this extraordinary nature. The Transitory Site is therefore exceptional as it is a monumental artwork not commissioned by any public body, as is generally the case, but born out of the artist's desire: a free work owned by the artist and inspired by the nature of the Crete. From that moment, he decided to create a sculpture inspired by the Crete.

Made in 1990 in plaster, the first preparatory study has some differences compared to the final work, although the essential elements (a door—which would later become a window—a central element, and a seat that faces the door) are already present.

The title of the sketch, The Bride of the Crete, highlights the love the artist felt for this land.

The sketch is exhibited in a room at the Palazzo Corboli Museum.

For several years, in the town of Asciano, at Via Amos Cassioli 78, it has been possible to visit Jean-Paul Philippe's workshop: the studio where the artist has collected the history of sculpture and the artistic encounters that have taken place over the years. It is the place where he works and welcomes friends and visitors during his Italian stays.

To visit the workshop or for more information:
Email: association.sitetransitoire@gmail.com

The artist reminds visitors of some rules to follow when accessing and enjoying the artwork:

• No access by car or any motorized vehicle is allowed.
• It is prohibited to park in the sculpture area.
• The sculpture area must be kept clear of objects, as the ground between the elements is an integral part of the artwork.
• No objects are to be placed on the sculpted stones: chair, sarcophagus, window labyrinth, solar wheels, or slabs on the ground.
• The artist invites the visitor to sit on the chair. However, it is not permitted to climb or sit on other elements of the sculpture.
• For safety and respect for the artwork, climbing on sculptural elements, such as the window or the chair, is forbidden.
• Picnics, candles, or fires, as well as camping, are not allowed in the sculpture area.
• The sculpture is located among wheat fields, which we kindly ask visitors to respect.