a 12-ton octopus Nauti inspired by the world of Jules Verne arrives in Amiens

It is a project born in 2020 and which must come to fruition in the eyes of the public in March 2025, the date on which the monumental Nauti-octopus will find its place in front of the Halle Freyssinet, the temple of the comic strip festival, in Amiens. A fantastic creature, currently being finished in the Saint Sauveur foundry workshops in Haute-Saône.

The mythical “kraken”, a fantastic creature from medieval legends, the giant squid described by sailors in frightening stories, is expected to peacefully invade the city of Amiens on March 24, 2025.

Affectionately nicknamed the “Nauti-octopus”, the monumental work was designed by François Schuiten, Belgian comic book author and scenographer, and sculpted by the Alsatian artist Pierre Matter. Visitors to the latest comics festival, which is traditionally held in June in Amiens, were able to discover the model of the future project in the Halle Freyssinet, located in the Gare La Vallée district, before it was presented in the four corners of the city ​​in recent months.

A Nauti-octopus which is a direct reference to the work of Jules Verne and his novel Twenty thousand leagues under the seaone of the ten most translated books in the world.

“Remember, In this book, Captain Nemo, who is traveling aboard his submarine, ‘the Nautilus’, is caught in the tentacles of a monstrous octopus. He will of course come out of this. But this famous episode inspired us with the idea of ​​a work which will crown the twenty-step journey called ‘Aronnax’ and which we launched in March 2022, explains Paul-Eric Dècle, vice-president of Amiens Métropole in charge of tourism. A journey intended to highlight the major influence of Jules Verne on the city of Amiens, where he lived from 1871 until his death in 1905. He is an author known throughout the world and we wanted to give him a stronger visibility among Amiens residents and tourists who visit our city. In a way, the Nauti-octopus, which will soon leave the foundry, is the high point of this memorial journey dedicated to the illustrious Jules Verne“.

“This is our first public call for tenders and we are very proud to have won it“

In Saint-Sauveur, in Haute-Saône, Bruno and Pierre Redoutey, founders from father to son, are putting the finishing touches to the monumental work of the Nauti-octopus. “We have been working on this project since September 2023“, specifies Pierre Redoutey who is preparing to take over from his father in the foundry workshop. “We are at the finishes and more precisely at the patina, in green, gray and black tones. In terms of volume, it is the most cumbersome work we have had to create. With its five tentacles of 6.50 meters high and 9.50 meters long, it weighs 12 tons“.

“This monumental piece required a lot of thought, in particular because Amiens Métropole wanted a rigid interior structure, to resist shocks., continues Pierre Redoutey. You should know that the Nauti-octopus is made of bronze, an alloy of copper, zinc and tin. So in case people climb on the work, they could have distorted it. We were forced to insert a stainless steel structure. We have worked with 3 people for more than 13 months full time, but it gives us a great showcase for the company“.

“The part will leave the foundry in a few days. It will be loaded in 6 pieces onto two covered semi-trailers, heading towards Brussels, where the entire foundry team will be present to assemble it, from November 26 to 29. It’s certain, I feel a lot of emotion letting her go, especially since I was little, I read 20 000 Leagues Under the Sea, but at the same time, we are relieved after a year of work“, concludes Pierre Redoutey.

“The designer of the Nauti-octopus, François Schuiten, is Belgianexplains Paul-Eric Dècle. And then our Belgian friends are the first foreign tourists in terms of frequentation of our city. It therefore seemed normal to us to create a bridge with Brussels, the European capital. With the mayor’s agreement, the Nauti-octopus will be exhibited from the end of November to the end of February in the Belgian capital, before returning to its final birthplace, Amiens. For us, it is also the way to promote our city which is three hours from Brussels.”

A monumental work which has a certain cost : more than a million euros, supported by Amiens Métropole. But for Thierry Lhermitte, president of the Société Publique Vallée Ideale Développement, “Amiens has chosen sustainability. Many cities opted for resin sculptures, but they quickly and easily deteriorated. The Nauti-octopus is designed to last, long after us. The giant bronze octopus will be installed at Place Freyssinet, in front of the Hall of the same name. It will be visible to travelers arriving at Amiens station and even from Les Hortillonnages. It will be a strong marker of our city, an additional tourist asset“.

“Ultimately, we will create a real green corridor from the station to Hortillonnages and inevitably, visitors will pass by this anchor point that is the Nauti-octopus. Moreover, it is planned that Place Freyssinet will become an event space“.

The creation of the Nauti-octopus is a founding act for our city.

Paul-Eric Dècle,

vice-president of Amiens Métropole in charge of tourism

What Paul Eric Dècle confirms : “we decided to bring the party together in the city, now called ‘Les Tentaculaires’, towards the Nauti-octopus, Place Freyssinet, in July 2025. The monumental sculpture will be the starting or ending point, we don’t know yet , a great festive stroll through Amiens. And before that of course, we invite all Amiens residents to the inauguration of the Nauti-octopus. It takes place on March 24, 2025 and this date obviously owes nothing to chance : this will be 120 years since Jules Verne died in our city, where he chose to be buried, in the Madeleine cemetery. Thus, we will have completed the entire cycle that we have devoted to it in recent years“.