Le Nichoir | Matali Crasset

In the heart of the Meuse (55), in Lorraine, tucked within the 5000-hectares forest of the villages Dompcevrin, Fresnes-au-mont, Lahaymeix, Nicey-sur-Aire, Pierrefitte-sur-Aire and Ville-devant-Belrain, along the Sentier du Vent pathway, the designer matali crasset has designed and built four feral-type houses, her “maisons sylvestres”. The cabins are centrally-positioned works of art in the forest. You can relax, dream, eat, watch but mainly just live an unequalled experience. An experimental project, and an experimental method. The proposition brought forth by matali crasset with the inhabitants and volunteers of Le Vent des Forêts consisted of making the forest a living matter, revealing its enkindling magic. For this, matali explains the necessity of “humbly confronting ourselves with the forest to understand and discern its being”. To avoid entangling the issue of form and function, matali first drew up a creative setting revealing how everything is possible, regardless of the form - a module called a metaform. This was copied and positioned in space with the same ease as a child integrating a pre-existing form into its imagination or a game, creating four types of sanctuaries: the Chrysalide, the Brocard, the Champignon and the Nichoir. These feral homes are ecological hotel rooms offering basic and embryonic comfort. Combinations of acacia wood, Douglas pines and galvanized steel blend into the landscape, camouflaged in nature and the securing undergrowth shadows which slowly appear. Matali points out that “These lightweight structures are foundation-free and can be moved around the forest without harming nature or upsetting the ecosystem”. Each forest cabin engulfs us with its individual, intriguing aura. These feral houses are sanctuaries for nestling, mingling with this ever-mysterious nature of extraordinary fragrances, sounds and whispers. These four feral houses offer different lifestyles. Each one invites you to enter and symphonize with nature, live out your own story … Simple to use, the concept is available for everyone - come define it as you wish. An endless concept where the creative process revolves around the imagination. Each house eagerly intertwines the indoor and outdoor environments enhanced by a terrace, a central room, a porch swing … Curious visitors, transient inhabitants of a natural space, can espy a jay-bird, a deer … The four houses are steadfastly and obstinately designed to work with sustainable development in mind. The project answers the quest for a simple and yet exciting experience within a cosy and equipped space, inciting an inquisitive walker to explore the surrounding forest area. For a night or an afternoon, we can play out a Robinson role within Le Vent des Forêts.