Every year the space within the Grand Palais becomes transformed by a select artist. To date, Anselm Kiefer (2007), Richard Serra (2008), Christian Boltanski (2010), Anish Kapoor (2011) and this year Daniel Buren. Considering that I’m a big fan of his columns at the Palais Royale, I wasn’t going to miss this! At first glance, the colorful circles impress by their sheer number… and colors.
It’s not until you look up, catching the light and mix of colors, that you really become mesmerized.
The view from above presents a completely varied and reflective experience.
Whether chasing light from below or admiring the view from above, I was impressed. As were the many wide-eyed children and enthusiastic adults surrounding me. A perfect refuge from gray skies.
Grand expo ending June 21st. Whose playground will it become next year?
Fabulous!
Wish I could get there before it closes
merci Carolg
Kasia! whats a fantastic pictures! This form of art is very relaxing for me Love Mom
Oh wow, it’s incredible!
It’s like being inside a kaleidoscope I would imagine!
Those are gorgeous pics!! I can’t believe I missed it this year, but looking at your pics gives me a nice sneak peak anyway 🙂
x Milla
(http://littlepiecesoflight.blogspot.fr/)
wow this is amazing!! I wish I knew about this sooner..I was just in Paris a couple weeks ago – would’ve loved to see this in person
WOW- I just love it! Amazing photos, mademoiselle! xo
Merci ma belle! Always happy to share the experience of Paris with you!
i love city art. this piece seems so bright and fun for everyone there.
Buren is the first artist permitted to move the entrance to the Grand Palais to its little-used side entrance – away from the main central nave – and after I had accidentally wandered into the local police station next door I finally made it up the long and narrow corridor that leads inside and was immediately bowled over by Buren’s creation. 377 colored circles (almost equal amounts of blue, yellow, orange and green) made of plastic film and placed over steel frames hover over you, at once showing off the immense and existing volume of the space whilst seemingly transforming it into a forest of color and light. Feeling like Alice in Wonderland after she had taken the magic shrinking potion, I proceeded to walk through all 8500 sq metres of this transformed Grand Palais. Last years installation – Anish Kapoor’s Leviathan – also worked with the vastness of the space but did so by taking up almost the entirety it. Buren’s installation, clearly in dialogue with Kapoor, offers the perfect counterbalance to this; presenting the Grand Palais as an open field to be explored and physically experienced. Buren leaves the central nave of the Palais open, placing large circular mirrors within it that reflect the central dome and the sky beyond it, bringing the outside within. Viewers are asked to sit or walk on the mirrors, resulting in a feeling of corporal discombobulation in space. Sounds add to this altered sense of perception as numbers and colors – in forty different languages – are almost inaudibly piped into the space resulting in an almost meditative and church-like feeling. The space becomes ever changing according to its environment, the weather, daytime or nighttime so no two visits are ever the same. Mr Buren, thank you for creating this magical playground in magical Paris!