Festina Lente

Festina Lente (“make haste slowly”) is a monumental sculpture created by sculptor Mathieu Perié and unveiled in 2018 at the former Giget stone quarry in the town of Vœuil-et-Giget (Charente). The work, approximately 3 meters tall, took two years to complete before the artist donated it to the town.

A Monumental Work

Carved from stone, the sculpture depicts a massive human figure with a mineral-like appearance. The figure appears to emerge from the rock, as if bearing witness to geological time. Its deliberately minimalist and archaic style evokes menhir statues or primitive idols, while retaining a profoundly contemporary presence.

The Meaning of Festina Lente

The title draws on a famous Latin maxim:

Festina lente — “make haste slowly.”

Known since antiquity and adopted notably by Emperor Augustus and later by Renaissance humanists, this motto calls for a balance between efficiency and caution.

Mathieu Perié offers his own personal interpretation. According to the artist, this stone figure delivers a message to our time:

“This stone being appears before us, a witness from the depths of time; it takes on our form to deliver a message: an invitation to slow down… An invitation to take the time to look, to contemplate, to understand what we observe, and to analyze what we experience.”

Integration into the Landscape

The choice of the former Giget quarry is no coincidence. The sculpture engages in a dialogue with the limestone cliffs and the site’s geological heritage. It seems to have literally emerged from the local stone, reinforcing the connection between the artwork, its material, and its environment.

This location makes Festina Lente an artistic landmark in the GrandAngoulême landscape, where natural heritage, the memory of the old quarries, and contemporary art converge.

Heritage Significance

Beyond its artistic value, Festina Lente contributes to the promotion of Vœuil-et-Giget’s heritage:

• it enriches the town’s cultural offerings;
• it highlights a former stone quarry, a testament to local history;
• it serves as an example of monumental contemporary sculpture integrated into a heritage site;
• it has become a symbol of the dialogue between art, nature, and time.

Through its universal message inviting us to slow down and observe the world more attentively, Festina Lente is part of a current reflection on our relationship with time, while drawing its inspiration from a motto that is more than two thousand years old.