42 97 AN ABYSS SEPARATES 21st CENTURY MEN FROM THOSE WHO STILL LIVE IN THE NATURAL WORLD AND COMPREHEND ITS VIRTUES
quality in everything we produced. My nickname, the “Prince Gardener,” tickled the curiosity of admirers and spectators and added some spice to the story. But the scope of this adventure is much more serious, because it involves both environmental and social issues. J.G. Why did you decide to acquire the ancient Maison Deyrolle and what projects do you have in store for it? L.D.B. In my eyes, Deyrolle was a temple of observation and curiosity. At the same time, it also represented a scientific and educational institution. Nonetheless, before I discovered his archives, I had not grasped the universal and transgenerational breadth of Deyrolle’s language and of his famous illustrated boards. His spirit and his method guided the activities that the Maison Deyrolle carried out in approximately 120 countries between 1850 and 1960, touching all aspects of natural sciences, from botany and zoology to physics, chemistry, social studies and the human body by means of the big illustrated boards that in France are familiarly known as “la leçon des choses”. J.G. What is the element that characterises all your activities?
L.D.B. Curiosity, the awakening of
consciences, the need to observe in order to comprehend, learn, dream, wonder, preserve and transmit. And, above all, to focus our attention on solutions. Thus, on concrete actions. All this without ever losing sight of evolution; or rather, the “Great Evolution,” which is the exceptional product of the beauty of nature, of all the wonderful specimens that we should regard as masterpieces. I often say that Deyrolle elevated natural sciences to the status of works of art. Should man not find gratification in what is naturally beautiful? Rather than keep pursuing the consumerist Grail, which is often synonymous with destruction and chaos? J.G. What is man’s role in the conservation of nature and biodiversity? L.D.B. Today, man’s role is fundamental. If we consider the issue of food and pesticides for example, it is clear how man himself could be the solution, if only he recognised the threats and admitted what is essential. The key to the survival of mankind and nature is in the intelligence of the hand and in the understanding of creation, to be accomplished through an educational project that moves from the plane of reality to that of the ideal.
NATURAL SCIENCES LIKE WORKS OF ART Above, the rich scientific archives of Maison Deyrolle, purchased by Louis-Albert de Broglie, have been a source of discovery and awe for over a century. Opposite page, a view of the facade of the castle of La Bourdaisière in the heart of the Touraine province.
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MARC DANTON
the castle of La Bourdaisière? Can we describe it as a kind of laboratory? L.D.B. This adventure started 23 years ago, with the transformation of the vegetable garden at La Bourdaisière. Mingling profit with pleasure, I created a collection of aromatic plants, typically used in cooking, in which the discovery of ancient varieties went hand-in-hand with my curiosity for species that were virtually extinct. A wide abyss separates 21st-century men from those who still live in nature, who experience the cycle of seasons and comprehend the virtues of plants, animals, ecosystems. I was able to measure this abyss when my project was confronted with terrifying real-life situations: like the companies that believe they can patent nature itself, for example, or the total ignorance when it comes to understanding the difference between certain fruits within the same supply chain, as in the case of tomatoes. That is when I began to imagine that I could turn La Bourdaisière into a laboratory dedicated to cultivating these diversities, to contemplating the beauty of creation, and to experimenting innovative environmental techniques. All the while maintaining a high aesthetic
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