At the edge of France, where the Loire River meets the Atlantic, an enormous sea serpent emerges from the tides. Measuring 130 meters, the skeletal sculpture lies partially submerged at Saint-Brevin-les-Pins, its form rising and vanishing with each tidal shift.
Installed on June 20, 2012, the Serpent d’océan was created by artist Huang Yong Ping. Composed of aluminum and laid across the intertidal zone, the tail reaches the low tide limit while the head meets the high tide mark. At low tide, the full structure is walkable. At high tide, only its upper vertebrae and head remain visible.
The undulating spine mirrors the nearby Saint-Nazaire bridge and local fishing nets called carrelets. The serpent is designed to slowly host marine life, becoming part of the coastal ecosystem over time.
Commissioned for the Estuaire contemporary art festival, the work was co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. Huang Yong Ping, born in China in 1954 and active in France from 1989 until his death in 2019, was known for fusing cultural motifs. In 2016, he created an even larger serpent sculpture for the Grand Palais in Paris.
