l’écouteur by laurent massaloux & jean-yves leloup encourages active listening
images courtesy of michel giesbrecht, laurent massaloux

 

 

 

‘l’écouteur’ (the listener) is a audio based installation designed by laurent massaloux and curator jean-yves leloup for the centre national des arts plastiques. the project was commissioned as a response to the increasingly important role of sound in contemporary arts and exhibitions. primarily intended for use by institutions, museums, arts centres, etc., ‘l’écouteur’ promotes the development of more active audio-based artworks.

l'écouteur by laurent massaloux & jean-yves leloup encourages active listening
‘l’écouteur’ 

 

 

 

the design seeks to translate the experience of listening to a spatial, architectural format that encourages visitors to actually pause and listen to any particular piece. the seating units are largely minimal, made of a range of prisms, polyhedrons, and pyramids typically found in acoustic/recording studio environments. visitors are free to choose their seat, and view ‘l’écouteur’ as an invitation to stop, listen, and respond.

l'écouteur laurent massaloux jean-yves leloup
the installation is made of various archetypal forms 

l'écouteur by laurent massaloux & jean-yves leloup encourages active listening
‘l’écouteur’ encourages active listening 

laurentmassalouxdesignboom01
in addition to seating elements, the unit has a central information hub 

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the furnishing is optimal for any gallery, institution, or museum setting 

l'écouteur laurent massaloux jean-yves leloup
the project was designed by laurent massaloux with jean-yves leloup

l'écouteur by laurent massaloux & jean-yves leloup encourages active listening
mobile app 

l'écouteur laurent massaloux jean-yves leloup
speaker and housing 

 

 

project info:

 

l’écouteur (FNAC 2015-0661) is a public commission by the centre national des arts plastiques
project: jean-yves leloup and laurent massaloux
design: laurent massaloux
sound and system design: guillaume pellerin – parisson
construction: david topani – ufacto
photography: michel giesbrecht
spatial specifications: 30m2 overall: the carpet measures 5 x 6 meters, minimum (and optimum) room dimensions: 65m2
maximum capacity: 15 visitors, seated, possibility for three visitors to recline

 

 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions  feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: nick brink | designboom