a beam of white light carves through paris' historical chapel

THRESHOLD TURNS LIGHT INTO A RESPONSIVE ARCHITECTURAL VOLUME

For Nuit Blanche 2026, light artist Emilio Ferro presents Threshold, a site-specific light and sound installation conceived for the Chapelle Expiatoire in Paris. The project explores the idea of the threshold as both a physical and perceptual condition. Positioned within the chapel, a powerful beam of white light emerges from a minimal metal structure and extends through the architecture, creating a luminous volume that appears tangible despite being entirely immaterial. Rather than functioning as a static object, the installation continuously transforms in response to the site itself. The opening and closing of the chapel influence the behavior of the light: when the building opens to the outside, the beam extends toward the surrounding garden; when the space closes, the light retracts and settles onto the interior architectural surfaces. This creates an ongoing dialogue between interior and exterior space, permanence and change. Roberto Conte photographs the project.

all images Roberto Conte

LIGHT BECOMES PERCEPTUAL MATERIAL THROUGH MOVEMENT AND SOUND

Visitors become active participants in the work. Their movement through the chapel introduces subtle variations in the perception of the installation, producing an environment that constantly shifts according to presence, duration, and viewpoint. An original sound composition accompanies the experience. Developed from magnetic field frequencies recorded by the artist and subsequently reworked, the sound expands the installation beyond the visual realm, generating a suspended atmosphere in which space and time appear to slow down. With Threshold, Emilio Ferro transforms light into a perceptual material capable of redefining architecture and creating an intermediate territory between material and immaterial realities. 

the installation projects light through the historic monument, making the intervention visible beyond the building

when the chapel opens, the beam extends into the surrounding garden and urban landscape

exterior view of the installation presented during Nuit Blanche 2026 in Paris

Threshold, a site-specific light and sound installation by Emilio Ferro at the Chapelle Expiatoire, Paris

a beam of white light aligns with the chapel’s oculus, defining the central axis of the installation

light appears as a tangible volume while remaining entirely immaterial

the beam intersects the architecture, continuously reshaping spatial perception

architectural details become part of the luminous composition created by the installation

the light intervention engages with the historical symbolism of the Chapelle Expiatoire

project info:

name: Threshold

designer: Emilio Ferro | @emilioferroextra

project direction: Studio Artera

commissioned by: City of Paris for Nuit Blanche 2026

venue: Chapelle Expiatoire, Paris

institution: Centre des Monuments Nationaux (CMN)

photographer: Roberto Conte | @ilcontephotography

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: christina vergopoulou | designboom