guillaume marmin illuminates french church with immersive light installation

presented by TETRO+A during 2019’s ‘constellations de metz’, guillaume marmin has created a light installation entitled ‘1.3 SECONDE’. for the third year of the digital arts festival in the french city of metz, the project has taken over the architecture of saint vincent’s basilica, illuminating the architectural details of the gothic church. constructed using 250 projectors, the concept behind the work intends to celebrate the first steps on the moon by immersing visitors in a scene of light and sound.

all images © maxime brochier

with the space travel theme in mind, the installation by marmin and TETRO+A gets its name from the time it takes for light to travel from the earth to the moon at a velocity of 300 000km/s. inspired by the church’s columns, stained glass windows and overall gothic style, visitors are given glimpses of the architectural details as lights flash and illuminate the grand space of the basilica. the contrast between the darkness and flashes of light immerses the audience in an almost overwhelming experience that intends to play with the perception of the existing space.

view of saint vincent’s basilica

on display in metz until the 7th of september 2019, the installation in essence intends to provide an epic space travel experience. the ‘constellations de metz’ festival takes over the french city for two months and occupies historical and urban spaces, inviting visitors to experience exhibitions from a variety of international artists.

the project lights up the gothic architectural details

the audience is immersed in light and sound

the project celebrates man’s first steps on the moon

the installation is inspired by the church’s columns and stained glass windows

visitors are immersed in an overwhelming experience of light

the installation will be on display until the 7th of september 2019

250 custom made projectors

guillaume marmin in front of his installation

project info:

project name: ‘1.3 SECONDE’

location: saint-vincent basilica, metz, france

artist: guillaume marmin

music: philippe gordiani and jean-baptiste cognet

production: TETRO+A

photography: maxime brochier

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: lynne myers | designboom