At Maison Rouge in Saint-Jean-du-Gard, Crushiform takes the imagination on a journey with the odyssey of seeds

After growing up in the Cévennes, illustrator Marie-Laure Crushi, aka Cruschiform, spent 20 years in Paris. A few years ago she felt “the urgent need to reconnect with nature, to put down roots”. This is one of the starting points of his project The Seed Odysseya book published by Gallimard Jeunesse, which is now available in an exhibition at Maison rouge, the museum of the Cévennes Valleys in Saint-Jean-du-Gard, with the complicity of the Nîmes festival. This four-year work has been extended by a residency since the beginning of the year, in contact with the public and the Cévennes.

By telling a “real and poetic history of seeds”Crushiform invites wonder. “Just take poppy seeds in your hands and observe the subtly bluish color to arouse curiosity”explains the artist. For the illustrator, the work began with a collection, a scientific research accompanied by Yves Pauthier, from the museum in Paris. She observes the design, the sculpture of each seed, then she escapes. Because the journey is at the heart of the book and the exhibition: “What determines their silhouette and plays a role in their dispersion?”asks Crushiform, who wanted “to go beyond documentary and objective knowledge with literary work.” The simple enumeration of popular names is enough to arouse reverie: coin-du-pape, herbe à robert, griffin’s foot, angel’s hair…

Invitation to wonder

Fascinated by the small, unnoticed details, she makes “feel the strength of their structure”transforming acorns, chestnuts, lotuses and nutmegs into characters. Carried by a light hanging, the exhibition is organized around the strategies and tools developed by nature to allow dispersion. Some seeds have wings or feathers to be carried by the wind, others float and are carried by water. Appetizing wrappers and bright colors help attract birds. To be transported by mammals, the seeds must be hooked in order to cling to the coat…

Accompanied by large landscapes inspired by Aigoual, the Causses, waterfalls and valleys, Cruschiform’s boards are both portraits and small living worlds, thanks to the texts sometimes supplemented by anecdotes collected on site and thanks to the work chart. After sketching, the illustrator goes digital, capturing the lines of force and the symmetries. Then she tackles color, modeling, light. His magical use of the white of the paper makes shapes emerge, dispersing them in space like air, water or fire.