Sémaphore de l'Angle

Sémaphore de l'Angle is a timber-and-steel outdoor artwork by French sculptor Vincent Mauger, standing alone amid fields and wetlands near the hamlet of L'Angle, in the commune of Saint-Étienne-de-Montluc, Loire-Atlantique. It belongs to the "Les Sémaphores" series set along the cycling route that links Nantes and Saint-Nazaire through the Loire estuary.

What exactly is this structure?

The Sémaphore de l'Angle is one of five viewing towers designed by Vincent Mauger together with the ECSB design studio and the Ateliers Perrault workshop, which built the piece. It stands roughly five metres tall and takes the shape of a fan built from oak posts. The uprights are mounted around two rotation axes, so that neighbouring beams splay apart at a regular angle of about 15 degrees. The result is an open, geometric lattice that reads differently depending on the viewer's position — closed and solid from one angle, open and airy from another, letting light and wind pass through.

Why "semaphore" — where does the idea come from?

The name refers to the historic optical telegraph towers once used to relay messages across distances with moving arms or flags, each tower passing a signal on to the next along a chain. Mauger borrowed that logic for a string of viewing points that punctuate travel along the Loire the way old semaphore stations once punctuated long-distance communication. The five works in the series — including the related Sémaphore de Roche-Maurice in Saint-Herblain and Sémaphore de l'île de la Liberté in Couëron — were commissioned under the Estuaire contemporary art programme that accompanies the Nantes–Saint-Nazaire cycling route. The Sémaphore de l'Angle was unveiled in May 2019. A sixth viewpoint is planned at Bouée, on land managed by the Conservatoire du littoral.

What can visitors see from the platform?

The structure sits in open countryside about a kilometre from the village of L'Angle, on the boundary between two contrasting landscapes: the fragile marshes and wet meadows of the Loire estuary on one side, and large-scale industrial installations on the other. From the viewing point, the panorama opens up across a full 360 degrees, taking in marshland, channels and open sky above the river valley — a vantage rarely available in such flat, exposed terrain.

How do you get there?

The Sémaphore de l'Angle lies on the Loire à Vélo / Estuaire cycling route, within the commune of Saint-Étienne-de-Montluc. It is reached on foot or by bicycle; there is no direct car access, which is true of the whole "Sémaphores" series, conceived as waypoints along the bike path rather than roadside attractions. Access is free and possible year-round.

Frequently asked questions

Who created the installation? French sculptor Vincent Mauger designed it, with the ECSB design studio and the Ateliers Perrault workshop responsible for building the structure.

How many works make up the "Sémaphores" series? Five, including the Sémaphore de l'Angle in Saint-Étienne-de-Montluc, the Sémaphore de Roche-Maurice in Saint-Herblain, and the Sémaphore de l'île de la Liberté in Couëron. A sixth viewpoint is planned at Bouée.

When was the Sémaphore de l'Angle installed? It was unveiled in May 2019.

What is the tower made of? Oak posts mounted on a steel frame, arranged around two rotation axes so that adjacent beams sit at roughly 15 degrees to one another.

Can you drive there? No — the site is accessible only on foot or by bicycle, in keeping with the cycling route between Nantes and Saint-Nazaire along which the series is placed.

Is there an entry fee? No, the site is open to the public and free to visit throughout the year.