Valentin Bayoud

AQUA PRIMITIVA
A spatial experience reinterpreting the archetype of the hearth


The hearth is undoubtedly one of the most archaic forms of human spatial organization. Structuring social and domestic space around fire, it meets fundamental needs: warmth, light, and protection. It is also a symbolic place, a center around which people gather to face the element that made the rise of humanity possible. In a context where resources are becoming limited and precious, the installation offers a space for contemplation. The circular shape imposes itself through its geometric logic: it places each individual at an equal distance from the center, abolishing any spatial hierarchy. At the heart of the installation lies the resource that, more than any other, now determines our future. In a paradigm far removed from its supposed primitive state, anthropological needs are being reshaped by social and technological changes: the need to gather around the fire has gradually faded away.


Taking a phenomenological approach, the project engages the senses to offer a spatial experience subtly anchored in the context of Hyères. Visitors are invited to sit in front of the central installation for a moment of reflective pause. By appealing to different layers of memory, both personal and collective, the project seeks to encourage contemplation and meditation on our relationship with this essential and fragile resource, which is intimately linked to our future: water.