Unspecified/General

Inside a restored nineteenth-century iron foundry in the eleventh arrondissement, the Atelier des Lumieres became the first all-digital art centre in Paris when it opened on 13 April 2018. Created by the company Culturespaces, it takes the masterpieces of painters such as Klimt, Van Gogh, Cezanne and Dali and projects them, vastly enlarged and set to music, across the floors, walls and towering ceilings of its great hall, so that visitors are surrounded and immersed in the images rather than looking at framed canvases. The building was once the Fonderie du Chemin-Vert, founded in 1835 by the Plichon brothers to supply cast iron to the navy and the railways; after the foundry closed it stood disused for decades until the project gave it new purpose, and its original metalwork and industrial volumes now form a dramatic backdrop. Some hundred and forty video projectors and a spatialised sound system fill the three-thousand-square-metre space, and visitors are free to wander, sit on the floor or watch from the upper level as the show cycles through its themes. A separate studio area presents the work of contemporary digital artists in shorter programmes. The inaugural exhibition devoted to Gustav Klimt drew well over a million visitors in its first year, and the venue quickly became one of the most popular cultural attractions in the city, helping to launch a wave of similar immersive shows around the world. Reached easily by Metro to Saint-Maur or Pere Lachaise, it appeals to those who enjoy art presented as spectacle, to families and to anyone curious about the meeting of heritage and technology. People come for the sheer scale and beauty of the projections, for the music, and for an accessible, emotional encounter with great paintings in an unforgettable setting. Tickets are timed and best booked online in advance, as popular exhibitions sell out and queues can form. There is no fixed seating, so visitors choose where to stand or sit, and the show runs in a continuous loop lasting around half an hour. Allowing time to watch it through more than once is well worth it, and a shop and cafe round off a visit that suits all ages and tastes.

Type: Activity

Address: 38 Rue Saint-Maur, Paris, France

Telephone: +33 1 80984600

Website: https://www.atelier-lumieres.com

Opening Date: 13/04/2018