A brontosaurus imposing its size, an utahraptor showing its fangs, an iguanodon seeming ready to pounce… The peaceful community hall of Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu, south of Nantes, looked like Jurassic Park this weekend. A few meters from the spectacular reproduction of an allosaurus skull, Léa, 9 years old, swears by the tyrannosaurus, standing on a rock with small compsognathus. “It looks like the real thing. He’s too scary with his teeth,” says the little girl under the amused gaze of the parents. The sculpture is less than two meters high but impresses with its realism. “At a child’s level, it always has an effect. The T-Rex is the star of dinosaurs, including among adults. Without him, it would not be the same. We absolutely need one,” asserts Damien Gouvier.
The young man in the black t-shirt knows something about it. He is the creator and organizer of this traveling event entitled “Gouvier expo: in the footsteps of the dinosaurs”. Since 2020, he has traveled through small towns in the west of France to introduce the public to his astonishing private collection: 17 reproductions of dinos in resin and fiberglass, supplemented by around fifteen life-size replicas of fossils.
“In small towns”
“I had to spend between 20,000 and 25,000 euros to bring together the objects presented and the decorations,” says Damien Gouvier. The statues are imported from the Philippines where there are specialist manufacturers capable of respecting all the details, particularly those of the skin and eyes. Initially, I started with three small statues, purchased on the Internet and which I rented for private birthdays. We really liked it and, one thing leading to another, the project developed. »
The project is to “offer an ephemeral museum in small towns, where there is not necessarily a lot of entertainment” in order to raise awareness of the world of dinosaurs, his passion. “It’s stuck with me since childhood,” he explains. It’s a timeless passion I think. It’s fascinating to realize that creatures like this could live on Earth. I also like the idea that there is still a lot to learn, that we regularly continue to make discoveries on the subject. »
“I’m not rolling in gold”
Former maintenance agent in an amusement park, Damien Gouvier, originally from Loire-Atlantique, convinced himself after Covid that he could make this exhibition his main job. “My loved ones were shocked at first. But they supported me, they know I’m passionate. » In addition to the investment, the thirty-year-old does everything from A to Z, whether it is booking, transport, staging or ticketing. The one who “regularly reads specialized magazines and forums” also wrote the educational panels himself, validated by a paleontologist. “It’s well documented,” appreciates Léa’s father. The texts reestablish some truths, notably the fact that the velociraptor was “carrying feathers unlike what we saw in the cinema”, indicates Damien Gouvier.
Entrance to the exhibition is set at 5 euros. Attendance is “variable”, from 300 people to a thousand visitors per weekend. “The feedback is very positive,” says the entrepreneur. In some cities, I know the exhibition is expected. I’m lucky enough to make a living from my passion but you don’t have to count your hours and I’m not rolling in gold. I have significant costs, in particular room rentals, which are increasingly expensive. »
Determined to “continue on this path”, Damien Gouvier begins to exhibit in commercial galleries and is thinking of reinvesting to “bring something new”. Four exhibitions are still on the program in 2023, the last of which is in La Rochelle on December 2 and 3.