The Nativity Scene of the Five Continents.

Basic element of our Judeo-Christian society, it recalls the flood, God's wrath towards mankind, and the birth of a new world. The Ark rests on Mount Ararat, in Armenia, and suggests Asia.

The Ark is made of cardboard, covered with wood-patterned adhesive paper; Noah and his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth are Playmobil figures dressed by me and represent our common ancestors; the animals, in pairs (purchased), repopulate the earth. The kangaroos, as a nod to Australia.

Abraham, a great preacher in the 19th century B.C., known throughout the Middle East for being the first monotheist. Difficult to represent, as he is known only through his beliefs. Like Moses later on, he went to Egypt willingly and returned from it. The peoples of the region were mostly nomadic.

Abraham is also a Playmobil figure modified by me, and his people are small figurines of Peruvian origin, completed with bags and other details for the occasion, to represent the Americas; Egypt symbolizing Africa.

The appearance of the Jews among the Arab Semites dates back to 1500 B.C. Moses, in the 13th century B.C., is well known; there are many ways to represent him, given the numerous accounts in the Bible (Golden Calf, Burning Bush, Sinai, Egypt, etc.). I chose the Tablets of the Law with the main Ten Commandments, which are no longer well known or taught.

Moses is also a dressed Playmobil figure.

He is the first prophet to have announced the coming of a savior, a messiah, the birth of a king.

(creation: Playmobil)

Egypt, very influential in the history of the region, is represented by a Pyramid, an Obelisk, and a Sphinx. It is intentionally placed in the background, subtly, not really part of the scene but inevitably present, also representing Africa.

Pyramid and Obelisk made of painted cardboard, Sphinx and statues purchased and adapted.

Herod, the cruel and bloodthirsty King of the Jews, naturally had a castle; however, I did not want to create a stark mudbrick castle, as they all were in the region. I preferred to represent his wealth and cruelty by reversing reality, meaning a modest exterior with a rich interior, as a castle from the Arabian Nights representing the Orient, and much more appealing to the public.

This construction is made of cardboard, the turrets from small decorated pottery, orchid tubes, beads, and nails.

It symbolizes the power of Rome at that time, ruling over the entire Mediterranean and Europe, with Herod being only a vassal. A golden bull represents their polytheistic religion. For the nativity scene, I added a playful twist by making Caesar very small... with only two centurions!

This temple is fictional and made from corrugated cardboard of varying thicknesses, rolled and wrapped with masking tape for the columns and capitals, all hand-painted. The animal decorations are simple children's farm animals painted gold.

In fact, I should have made an Arab Palace, but contemporary history led me to create a mosque! This monument is inspired by the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, and represents Arabs and Asia very well today. The vast majority of Arabs only became Muslim after Muhammad, around 600 A.D. They share the same biblical history as us, with Jesus being only a prophet. Previously, in the region, all the peoples were of Semitic Arab origin, descendants of Shem, son of Noah. These nomads all came from Saudi Arabia. Among these Arab Semites, a minority called Hebraïsa, polytheistic, later became the Hebrews. It was only around 1500 B.C. that the Jews emerged.

Crafted from painted cardboard, fir branches, straw, and hay, I built it modeled after the one from my childhood, in tribute to my father, who envisioned it.

The only monument made of unbaked, air-dried pottery clay, hand-painted; a method abandoned because it was too heavy, too fragile, and too time-consuming to make. It is inspired by the Chapel of the Lepers in Kaysersberg and a chapel in the Lötschental.

At a scale of 1/80, I made it from foam board for the walls and roof. The roof is covered with rock paper, with hand-drawn tiles. The ridge tiles are pine needles, the stained glass windows and the panes are made from transparent paper, and the window frames and trims are hand-drawn. It represents Protestantism.

It is dedicated to Provence, the region of nativity scenes par excellence and the region of my studies. One should think of Alphonse Daudet's nativity scene, a true early humanist.

Made of wood and cardboard, with wings made of paper glued onto stakes, a small silent motor drives the entire setup.

A reference to the Canton of Vaud and the Jura, it harmoniously animates the landscape with the river.

It is made of cardboard for the walls, with slats and wood for the dawn. The water, brought in by a small pump, makes it turn.

Without water, the Earth would be very sad! The river, with its bridges, its fisherman, its swans, and the gently flowing water, is a very important element for the animation.

It is constructed from a fine wire mesh bed, beneath which I placed a fluorescent cardboard bed with an electric garland and on top of which I fixed a plastic bed. The latter is covered with glue, onto which I placed gravel. The riverbed is adjusted to the same shape in wood placed on the ground, and it is a template made from small planks that gives the appropriate slope for the water flow. It is the only construction in the landscape that cannot be disassembled.

Full of details that give it its charm, the tools are merely scraps, washers, screws, hooks, etc., painted in black. The hearth's fire is a flickering flame bulb with an opaque film placed in front. With its slate roof, fiberglass smoke, animals, and characters, it always catches the children's eye.

This idea began to take shape in 2002, just before the Bicentennial of the Canton of Vaud in 1803. This farm exists in Dommartin, dates back to that period, and has been in my in-laws' family for generations. It is primarily made of cardboard and various small other elements, at a scale of 1/80.

Built for Christmas 2007, it marked the anniversary, forgotten by its inhabitants, of the 1100th mention of the village of Dommartin from 908. The castle no longer exists, with only a remnant of the keep and a few scattered sections of walls remaining. Dommartin was an important town in the Middle Ages but declined rapidly in the 16th century.

By studying archives, archaeological surveys, and other more significant 12th-century castle ruins, along with details from records of witch trials judged at the castle, I was able to reconstruct what it must have been, much to the surprise of the locals. The model is missing the second enclosure with the fortified village, the moat, and the open village with the primitive church. It would have been too imposing in the landscape, which is why I only built the citadel.

Construction materials:

- Fine-grain Sagex for the walls, ramparts, and keep
- Corrugated cardboard for the roof
- Traditional lime and tinted dispersion for the finishes

The stone blocks were engraved in expanded polystyrene before painting.