From March 2025, Amiens will live a historic moment with the installation of a monumental work of art dedicated to Jules Verne: Nauti-Poulpe. Designed by the illustrator François Schuiten and the sculptor Pierre Matter, she pays tribute to one of the most visionary writers of the 19th century and the infinite imagination that he instilled in his extraordinary trips. Beyond a simple work of art, this sculpture embodies all the richness of the Verniian universe and testifies to the deep relationship between the author and his hometown, Amiens.
The Nauti-Poulpe, six meters high and long, represents an incredible hybrid between the famous Nautilus submarine and the giant octopus, two strong images of the work of Jules Verne. The genesis of this project dates back to 2018, when the city of Amiens wished to say in a more marked way its link with the author, by inscribing in public space a work up to his imagination. The initial idea was to prolong the novel from the earth to the moon with a reinterpretation of the Verne rocket. However, after careful thinking, the artists decided to explore other tracks, that of the Nautilus and the mythical combat of Captain Nemo against the octopus.
François Schuiten, whose graphic imagination nourishes the essence of the project, explains this approach with passion: “Today, technologies, such as transplants and avatars, allow you to envisage bridges between animals and mechanics . If Verne was with us, he would undoubtedly have imagined these hybridizations. The Nauti-Poulpe, whose manufacturing was entrusted to the foundries of Saint-Sauveur in Haute-Saône, symbolizes this daring fusion between organic and technological, a concept that perfectly sums up the visionary spirit of Jules Verne. Made of bronze, this sculpture is a striking mixture of the beauty of natural forms and mechanical ingenuity, a tribute vibrating to an author whose imagination continues to fascinate.
The sculpture will take place in the Halle Freyssinet district, an urban change sector, and will be inaugurated on March 24, 2025, on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the disappearance of Jules Verne. Nauti-Poulpe thus becomes a lighthouse, an essential visual mark which will strengthen the cultural attractiveness of Amiens, while celebrating the heritage of this extraordinary writer.
This monumental work is also part of the Aronnax course, a literary and tourist route which crosses the symbolic places of the city linked to the writer. This route allows visitors to discover, through 20 stages, the various sites that have marked Verne’s life in Amiens: Amiens station, Maison Jules Verne, the Picardy Museum, the Cathedral, among others. Thanks to interactive devices and bilingual QR codes, visitors will be able to deepen their knowledge of the author and his work by accessing immersive videos, extracts from his novels read by actors, and even quizs for the youngest .
The Nauti-Poulpe will thus complete this course by offering visitors a unique experience, both artistic and immersive, at the heart of the imagination of Jules Verne. From a simple symbol, the city makes this tribute a real monument to the glory of the writer, thus reinforcing his role as capital of the literature and heritage of Jules Verne. With a height of six meters, a length of nine and a weight of 12 tonnes, the Nauti-Poulpe aims to be a spectacular work, visible from afar, a visual landmark marking the landscape of Amiens. With an impressive scope, it required an investment of € 800,000, a sum which testifies to the importance of this work in the city’s cultural heritage. This project, which brings together artists, architects and historians, is to reflect a collective work to celebrate the universe of Jules Verne and its impact on the collective imagination. Its official inauguration, scheduled for March 2025, will be a major event for Amiens, which is about to host a unique work.
