"Atelier des Lumières"

The « Atelier des Lumières » is a digital art centre, which opened in April this year. It occupies what used to be a foundry, created already in 1835 – well hidden behind some more recent buildings (through which you enter). You can hardly imagine the huge ex-foundry buildings if you don’t open Google Earth and get the view from the sky. 

The place offers a surface area of 3.300 m2 (some 35.000 sq.ft), with some 10 m (30 ft) high walls, and the “show” is performed via some 140 video projectors accompanied by music via a fantastic sound system… 

It is run by “Culturespaces”, a private enterprise, majority-owned by “Engie”, the French leading energy company (electricity, gas, nuclear…) and which manages a number of museums and cultural spaces around France, including in Paris the Jacquemart-André (see my post here) and the Maillol Museums (see my posts here and here). They are also involved in a similar operation at Baux-de-Provence, “Carrières de Lumières” (see previous post).

These first photos may give you an impression of the space…   

The present “show” concentrates on three Austrian artists, mostly on Gustav Klimt, but also on Egon Schiele and F. Hundertwasser (who was not only a painter but who also transformed his fantasies in the construction of real (ecological) buildings).

So, from the show… some Klimt impressions…

… some Schiele impressions…

… and some Hundertwasser impressions..