Initially, Cécile Pitois follows a pragmatic and intuitive process that leads her to canvas a given territory in order to capture a powerful element or determine a work angle before developing it further yet by prolonging or confronting this guiding line through a series of investigations. For this, she bases herself on both documentary research but also on encounters that give her an opportunity to glean information about the location, its history and its social life. Little by little, through the inhabitants’ crossed‐perspectives, elements appear, the importance of which unfolds in her eyes.

Although intended for public spaces, Cécile Pitois’ creations, titled Sculptures à Souhaits are not the end result of typical public commission. At the outset, no commission is formulated by any patron whatsoever. She emphasizes that it is, first and foremost, her interest in a city and its people, in social life, that pushes her to create pieces for urban space. Acting on her own initiative, she selects the locations for her interventions herself, the former being dictated not by their visibility but rather by their social and symbolic value.

The artist put together a series of proposals resulting from guided tours provided by local volunteers, discussions with local stakeholders, and research in local archives. Cécile Pitois wanted to work with an architect and a landscape designer on projects that take into account visible and invisible local heritage, with strong emphasis on sound and vibratory energy. “Variations for Marray” is the overall title for these proposals.

This fieldwork and the accumulation of research lead to the construction of a tale that draws on local reality but which remains in fact a fiction, an entirely invented construct. The tale is the means through which the artist gets closer to a location’s reality and evokes its transformations. It relates something of the past, of recent history and of our present time. But it also functions, first and foremost, as a pretext for the elaboration of a story of a more general and universal impact that then leads to a form of questioning which is, in turn, a way of involving people within contemporary reality.

Marray will now have its own standing stone! This new concept by artist Cécile Pitois is based on a legend that involves a ritual. Although some nearby villages have menhirs (standing stones), Marray was an exception. While studying maps in the local archives, Cécile was interested to see labels stating: “existing menhir”, “dubious menhir”, or “menhir disappeared”. In addition, the abandoned Grès Roussard quarries remain a powerful element of local heritage that older residents still remember well. Stone from the quarry should be used to make this megalith, set alongside a hiking path offering sweeping views of the surrounding landscape.

With each of her works, the artist invites the city dweller to “share a ritual inspired by the historical, social and cultural context. This ritual dimension implies a dual experience, both personal and collective, of time and place” and offers each of us a way of experiencing space and continuing, in our own way, the tale’s narrative, whose text is printed on a plaque placed near the sculpture.

The Marray wash house, once a place for lively social interaction, is now marginalised because it is no longer used. It is nonetheless sporadically occupied because it is next to the river and a nearby children’s play area. It could become a vibrant space once again thanks to a project based on sound - the sound of the river and the sound of music – which everyone could enjoy. Thanks to Bluetooth speakers, people could bring their own music and sit, dance or relax, either alone or with others.

As she walked through the village, the artist noticed a Bird Protection League plaque on a house and decided to find out more about the subject. She met Jean-Marc and Christine, who are passionately involved in the protection of birds and their habitat. This resulted in a collaborative project where they came up with the idea of a special observation point in the diverse landscape around the village, which includes meadows, woodland and lakes. The idea is to create a “sound observatory” to help people learn about birds in an original way. This structure, called the Passerine Yurt, is a space where people can relax and listen to local birdsong, on the edge of a wood where footpaths intersect.

The Marray council wanted to create a new square in the heart of the village. The artist Cécile Pitois developed a project in collaboration with Maxime Vignolles, landscape designer with ADAC 37. Hervé Bourdillat, architect and designer and Cécile Pitois have designed a convivial space, called "The Beating Heart", inspired by music, as there is an important annual musical event in the village. It is a platform surrounded by benches that can be used by café customers, and it can also serve as a stage for concerts, dance shows and food markets.