A chameleon for the deconfinement of the Machines of the island – 20 minutes
He is ready to open and move his big eyes to (finally) discover the audience. At Les Machines de l’île, in Nantes, a newcomer has taken his place on a tree in the gallery, which will reopen its doors to visitors on Saturday morning. After the hummingbird or the sloth, it is a mechanical chameleon that has emerged from the imagination of Pierre Orefice and François Delarozière, the designers. “We have a weakness for this animal,” smiles the first. First of all because he is superb, but also because his movements are very broken down. “
In addition to moving sideways and up and down, thanks to its folding legs, the two-meter-long creature also knows how to operate its long tongue. Visitors should keep an eye out because once an hour the reptile will make a fly disappear in its mouth. “The chameleon is very slow in its movements but it is dazzling in its attack, this is what we wanted to reproduce here, observes Pierre Orefice. On the other hand, it was impossible to make it change color! “
Reduced gauge
In stainless steel and painted wood, the chameleon will eventually join (like the other members of the bestiary) the Heron Tree, which is to be built in 2023 in the heart of the Extraordinary Garden. In the meantime, and from Saturday, the Galerie des Machines will welcome visitors in reduced capacity (120 visitors at the same time against 300 in normal times) while the Big Elephant will also resume its travels. During June and all summer, a great blue heron will be installed under the naves to carry out tests.