Bolloré Logistics was commissioned by Les Machines de l’ile to transport Peter Hudson’s priceless work of art, the Charon wheel, from the Burning Man site in the United States to Nantes for the 6th annual Nantes Maker Campus. In order to make this transport possible, Bolloré Logistics’ agencies in the United States and France worked tightly together. 

Transporting the Charon wheel was a particularly large-scale operation, especially given its location in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, which is a fairly remote and not easily accessible area. The wheel arrived by ship at the Port of Oakland and then left for the client’s final site in the heart of the city of Nantes, at the Parc des Chantiers. In total, the transportation of this gigantic work of art took 50 days, covering a distance of more than 13,000 kilometres.

“We would like to thank Bolloré Logistics for transporting the Charon wheel so responsibly and in such a way as to ensure its integrity. This ultimately contributed to the success of the event,” said Pierre Orefice, Director of Les Machines de l’ile.

“This operation was a complete success thanks to our teams’ perfect coordination. It demonstrates our expertise in the field of transporting exceptional loads. The wheel is an impressive 12 metres high. We had to take into account the unique and very fragile nature of the structure, as well as port and maritime congestion, which considerably lengthens delivery times,” said Yorick Croiset, Regional Sales Director, Bolloré Logistics West.

Charon’s wheel was created by the American artist Peter Hudson. It represents a spinning wheel that is carrying replicas of human skeletons. To function, the wheel must be propelled by 12 people working in unison. The art work will continue its journey in 2022 and 2023, escorted by Bolloré Logistics, to London, Antwerp, Clisson and Paris.

Since 2016, Les Machines de l’ile organises an annual event, Nantes Maker Campus, which celebrates the Maker Movement and has become the largest gathering in France for this community. All over the world, the Makers community brings together enthusiasts who share their skills with the concept that anyone can create an object simply with an idea and a few tools.