Hiking: Fort l'Ecluse on the banks of the Rhône

Concerts, festivals, events and exhibitions, enjoyed by thousands of visitors, make Fort l'Ecluse an unmissable place to discover and enjoy... Well beyond the borders of Pays de Gex.Perched above the Rhône, Fort l’Ecluse dominates the skyline. Dating back 700 years, it has many stories to tell. Come and discover them on self-guided or guided tours, through the fascinating exhibition “Au cœur de la Cluse” and the spectacular sound and light show “Fort l’Ecluse: 20,000 Years of History . There’s something for everyone! Thanks to its immersive exhibitions, dive “Au cœur de l’orage” and set off to discover the lesser horseshoe bats and the Fort’s bats. Also discover the temporary exhibition “Intuitions croisées”, which brings together the worlds of FotOZé and Clau Redier-Clément, from 26 June to 30 August. Combining photography and painting, this exhibition explores a shared vision: creating a dialogue between the real and the intuitive, memory and emotion, the visible and the implied. Summer events are sure to thrill you: the 13th edition of the Jazz in Fort l’Ecluse festival, classical concerts by the Soloist Academy, Nuit des étoiles… And for those who fancy a bit of exercise, there are sporting activities: an adventure trail with breathtaking views at the Upper Fort, a free-access via ferrata and hiking trails. Not to mention the challenge of earning the famous ‘staircase diploma’: climbing the 830 steps of the underground gallery linking the Lower Fort to the Upper Fort.

Straddling the worlds of photography and painting, *Intuitions croisées* brings together the artistic visions of FotOZé and Clau Redier-Clément under a shared vision: to create a dialogue between the real and the intuitive, memory and emotion, the visible and the implied.A photographer exploring the links between identity, place and memory, José Gaggio – or FotOZé, as he is known by his artist name – has developed a unique practice which he calls Gaggiographies. Using photographs taken on location, he digitally integrates works of art into landscapes or heritage sites. Through meticulous cutting, the work blends with an almost organic precision into reality, blurring the boundaries between art and everyday life. These images, both poetic and surprising, invite us to take a fresh look at our surroundings and to experience a visual journey where past and present converge. In a similar vein, the paintings of Clau Redier-Clément, an artist from the Pays de Gex, explore light, movement and emotion through a poetic expressionism verging on lyrical abstraction. Her work draws inspiration from memories, nature and the human soul. The human figure is often implied, concealed within the traces and pictorial gestures. Influenced by Asian art, she paints intuitive landscapes where light fragments reality and opens up spaces of freedom and contemplation. Intuitions croisées offers a sensory journey where the works respond to one another, overlap and complement each other. An exhibition that invites the viewer to slow down, to feel, and to let themselves be guided by intuition.