vincent leroy exhibits ‘boreal halo’ within 17th-century church in france

after introducing his ‘boreal halo’ in several special locations all over the world, vincent leroy has now brought his levitating installation to the ON festival of arles in france, exhibiting it within a 17th-century church building. the massive inflatable high-tech ring rotates in the center of the old stone structure, generating an interesting merge of two universes and two very different eras. 

the artist through his installation
all images by of thibaut gilles and vincent leroy

leroy‘s ‘boreal halo’ is suspended above the ground, looking like it’s floating on air and causing awe and wonder to the observers. the art piece rotates to the beat of a unique soundtrack, created by jérôme echenoz. adding an extra dimension to the experience, the audio background features sounds captured from all over the world, combined with infra-bass, and throbbing vibrations.

view of boreal halo under the vault of the church

the art piece provides a mesmerizing audiovisual experience, with visitors getting ‘caught up in this captivating ritornello’ vincent leroy mentions. the installation allows observers to be carried away by the reflections, the shadows, the stone damaged by time, and the sounds. even the light entering through the stained glass windows seems to come from far away, like in a soft dream. the whole atmosphere encourages the public to be completely immersed in it – ‘you will come out feeling calm and stronger’ the artist says. 

the church was desecrated in the 18th century

today this space is dedicated to culture

view towards the public entrance

a meeting of two universes and two very different eras

the halo seems both close and gigantic

view from the entrance to the church

the light becomes theatrical at the end of the day

artistic explanation

the boxes used to transport the work around the world

project info:

name: boreal halo
artist: vincent leroy
audio: jérôme echenoz/adorable studio
curator: julie miguirditchian/ON festival
assisted by: isabelle huberson, aurélie legal, karyn losana, marine buu
technical: thomas leblanc
production: ON festival

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