pablo valbuena turns desolate paris station into experiential light canvas

pablo valbuena turns desolate paris station into experiential light canvas
gifs by designboom / courtesy of pablo valbuena

 

 

 

during the reconstruction of paris’ historic gare d’austerlitz railway station, spanish creative pablo valbuena has used the medium of light to transform the unoccupied site into an experiential installation. the southern france-based artist has adopted the union of projected sound and luminescence to set ‘kinematope’ in motion.

 

the site-specific work — spanning over a half kilometer in length — traverses around the newly-constructed beams and along the undulating canopy that comprise the station setting, transporting the observer into an alternate architectural reality. ‘kinematope’ responds to its environment in two ways: reacting to the perceptual qualities and inner structure of the place it activates, and connecting to the function of the train station itself — transit, transport, motion. visitors to the nuit blanche festival were encapsulated in an ever-changing and dynamic glow, allowing them to experience the architecture of the railway station in — quite literally — a new light.

 

 

kinematope [gare d’austerlitz]
video courtesy of pablo valbuena

visitors within the installation are encapsulated in an ever-changing and dynamic glow

the viewer is transported into an alternate architectural reality

a wave of light cascades down the length of the train station

 

h/t [creators project]