Photographers Laurent Kronental and Charly Broyez spent four years exploring La Grande Motte, a stunning seaside resort in France’s Languedoc region.
The series they have created, entitled La Cite Oasis (the Oasis City), is also remarkable. These images are both artistic and accessible. They capture the harmony between the resort’s striking architecture and the lush Mediterranean vegetation and explore the utopia that its architect, Jean Balladur, envisioned in the 1960s.
Laurent and Charly were kind enough to chat with me about the city’s history and the creation of this stunning photographic project.
What makes La Grande Motte so special?
The emergence of La Grande Motte, or ‘The Big Mound,’ was a result of the post-war French economic boom known as Trente Glorieuses (Thirty Glorious years), when mass tourism was fuelled by paid holidays. The government was worried that French tourists would head to Spanish beaches and so embarked on an ambitious project to create their own Mediterranean coast.
Charly explains that “La Grande Motte was created by DATAR, the Interministerial Delegation for Regional Planning, as part of a project of tourism and urban planning with a name reflecting its ambition, ‘Racine,’ meaning ‘Root.'” The goal was to not only build an ideal city but also make it come to life, anchoring its residents in this paradise that is free of both the past and the present. Happiness, as the only anchor, was the only thing that mattered.
In 1962, Jean Balladur, a French architect, was selected to create this remarkable city. La Grande Motte is one of only a few cities in the 20th century that was built from scratch.
What was once sand and marshland would become a modernist fantasy landscape, a “garden city” where nature and futuristic architecture would coexist harmoniously.
Converging artistic paths
Charly and Laurent’s interest in photography was a natural fit for their collaboration.
Laurent says, “Since 2011, I have been fascinated by the new towns built between 1950 and 1980, especially the large housing estates in the Paris area. My images capture the evolution of these suburban neighbourhoods, which are often overlooked and the poetry of an era that has aged slowly.
Charly brought his point of view. Since 2005, he has been interested in abandoned buildings–silent witness to a past forgotten. “My artwork has been focused on these abandoned buildings that, when left to decay seem to embark on an existence marked by a melancholy atmosphere.”
They began their collaboration in September 2019 when they visited La Grande Motte with just a single camera. At the time, there was no intention to create a long-term photo project. Laurent recalls, “We were instantly captivated by this city’s charm.” Its stunning architecture took us to a sci-fi setting. “We quickly realized La Grande Motte had a lot of photographic potential with its iconic architecture elements.”
The city as a canvas for sculpture
The photographers were most impressed by Jean Balladur’s visionary approach towards architecture as sculpture. Charly says that Jean Balladur’s architecture has the sensibility of a sculpture, with sensitivity to form, texture, light, and shadow. It inspires dreams and escapes.”
The resort’s most recognizable feature, the truncated Pyramid buildings, is inspired by pre-Columbian civilizations, especially Mayan and Incan Architecture. Balladur was a genius who went beyond form.
Laurent explains that he “redefined modern modenature” at La Grande Motte. Laurent is referring to ornamental details found on facades. Laurent used prefabricated concrete latticework on his pyramids. It gave the city an aesthetic rhythmic graphic pattern and musicality. It also had sculptural profiles as well as silhouettes that resembled animals, waves or boat sails.
They were not only decorative but also practical, as they framed each apartment’s loggia and provided shade to residents.
A city oasis
This is in contrast to the early criticisms of La Grande Motte, which branded it excessively concrete-heavy. Jean Balladur and Pierre Pillet had imagined “a green city before its time”—one whose vegetation wouldn’t fully flourish until half a century after the resort’s building. This vision is now fully realized.
Laurent notes that “Vegetation has covered 70% of the territory and over 50,000 trees were planted since it was built.” “Umbrella trees, palms, laurels and tamarisks have flourished. This gives the impression that nature is reclaiming its space.”
The title of the series, La Cite Oasis, was inspired by this verdant reality. The photographs show white modernist buildings emerging out of lush greenery. As Laurent describes, the structures are “beehive like structures nestled in shrubs and tree branches peering over walls”.
Capturing the essence
Charly and Laurent were very particular about the timing. Over four years and seven trips, they deliberately chose to document La Grande Motte in transitional seasons instead of the peak tourist season.
Laurent explains that “our choice to visit during the spring, early summer and early autumn months was deliberate.“ These periods provided a unique experience away from the busy tourist season. They revealed a more poetic and intimate side to the city. La Grande Motte adopts a different time sense during these seasons in between. It is almost meditative.
The method they used was also deliberate. Working with a large format film camera forced them to be disciplined, which shaped their approach. Charly observes that “large-format film photography compels us to predict the composition of our pictures as if they are paintings.“ The large-format camera requires patience and discipline. The large-format camera forces us to take our time, make thoughtful choices, and really contemplate the subject.
The methodical approach led to unexpected discoveries regarding the best conditions for capturing Jean Balladur’s architectural vision.
Laurent notes that “even though we both preferred softer lighting, we slowly realized the architecture of La Grande Motte, a city of sunshine, thrived in a higher, stronger light.“ The unique shapes and intricate facades of the buildings created a dynamic play of light and shade, which was most noticeable between 10 am and 5.30 pm.
Beyond the resort: A tale of two Worlds
Photographers also expanded the scope of their work to include the landscape surrounding the city. Charly explains that to grasp La Grande Motte, one must truly understand the essence of its soil. It is situated on the edge of the Camargue and is shaped by wind and marshes.
The exploration of this area led to the discovery of a different way of life on the Etang d’Or shore, where traditional fishing and hunting huts contrast with La Grande Motte’s futuristic aspirations.
Laurent explains, “These huts are built from reclaimed material and embody human creativity, a connection to nature, and an alternative way of living.” “Originally built to store tools and provide shelter for hunters and fishermen, these huts evolved over time and have become secondary or primary residences.”
Charly and Laurent juxtapose these two seemingly dissimilar worlds – the meticulously planned resort and the organically developed huts – to invite the viewer to reflect on “how our evolving ways of life influence how we inhabit the earth, contrasting older and more modest practices with contemporary approaches”.
Vision for Tomorrow
La Grande Motte, completed 50 years ago, offers important lessons to architects and urban planners today. Charly explains that Balladur didn’t view architecture as just a juxtaposition of structures but as an integrated composition that integrated landscape, urban planning, and art with nature. This holistic approach highlights the possibility of designing cities as harmonious and coherent works of art rather than as fragmented entities.
His emphasis on integrating nature and architecture in an era of growing environmental awareness is remarkably prescient. Laurent says, “At a period when urbanization was often at the cost of quality of life and the environment, he presented a futuristic vision of the city that put the human being first.”
Charly Broyez and Laurent Kronental’s meticulous, patient documentation has produced more than a photograph of an architectural wonder. They have captured the realization of a vision, a utopian dream made green and concrete, where future and past, natural and constructed, are in constant, harmonious dialogue.