Figurehead by Jacques Raoult

As you approach the waterbus terminal for boats to Locmiquélic and Port-Louis, your eye is naturally drawn to the imposing bronze statue facing out toward the open water. Simply titled Figurehead, this monumental work stands 4 meters (13 feet) tall. It was created in 1988 by Nantes artist Jacques Raoult and cast by art founder Fernand Joly. To understand why it stands here, we need to return to the late 1980s. At the time, Lorient was completing a major redevelopment of its waterfront, an area still marked by the scars of World War II and the old German bunkers that were finally demolished in 1982. To mark this rebirth, the city chose to install a symbolic work of art. Unveiled in May 1988, the statue turns its back on the land and the elegant 18th-century buildings behind it. With its gaze fixed on the harbor, it appears to face the winds and tides head-on. Designed to welcome passengers stepping off the waterbus, the figure creates a link between different eras of the city. It recalls both the glory and the tragedy of the great French East India Company ships that once set sail from here, while its modern design reflects the momentum of a city firmly focused on the future. One of Jacques Raoult’s major works, it remains the silent guardian of the quay, greeting the constant flow of ships and passersby each day.