Arguably
the biggest news on the Bordeaux cultural scene in this other-worldly year has
been the rebirth of the city’s submarine base exhibition venue as a permanent
digital son-et-lumière installation that embraces cutting-edge video projection
mapping techniques. The news of how the eerie wartime edifice has been
converted into a world-class multi-sensory experience – known as Bassins de
Lumières – has travelled fast and wide, and after seeing countless Instagram
posts on the subject, I really had no alternative other than to witness
first-hand this latest incarnation of the place that also just happens to be the subject
of the all-time most-read item on the Invisible Bordeaux blog.
Overall,
four of the base’s eleven former submarine pens have been given over to the
Bassins de Lumières exhibition area, which has been conceived and is managed
by the Culturespaces nationwide network of museums and attractions. Work on
converting the venue lasted more than two years, and while the Bassins de
Lumières' official opening was delayed by the health crisis, it eventually welcomed the general public for the first time in June 2020.
There are
four inaugural exhibits that run until early January 2021. The highly-anticipated headline attraction showcases
the work of the legendary Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), as part of
a lengthy audiovisual sequence conceived by immersive digital artists Gianfranco
Iannuzzi, Renato Gatto and Massimiliano Siccardi, in collaboration with
musician Luca Longobardi. The second main piece is an animated compilation of the
art of the German-Swiss painter Paul Klee (1879-1940) set to music. Two other modern
multimedia works are presented in a self-contained area known as The Cube: “Ocean
Data” by Ouchhh studios, and “Anitya” by the Organ’Phantom collective.
The visitor
experience involves wandering in near darkness from pen to pen, taking in the
various video mapping sequences (which are played on loop throughout) from
different vantage points, the colourful animations being enhanced by the
reflections in the pools of water, and sometimes extending over the floor
beneath one’s feet. The hundreds of projectors that are used mean that at all
times visitors are either faced or surrounded by a seamless mass of images, all
to the permanent soundtrack of music. And although there is a steady flow of visitors,
there is never a sense that other people are getting in the way or intruding on
the artwork – if anything the silhouettes of fellow punters add to the mystique
of the place.
Two
enclosed areas, the aforementioned Cube and the cylinder-shaped “La Citerne”, provide
an unusual setting where visitors can even lie down and take in the audiovisual
delights while elegantly sprawled out on cushions. Finally, a set of
information panels provide the historical background behind the venue, so
that visitors do not lose sight of the significance of the building and its
cumbersome legacy.
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| Chilling out inside the Cube. |
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| The history zone. |
So, is it
actually any good? Well, predictably enough Invisible Bordeaux was mightily
impressed by the technology, the aesthetics, and the sheer high-grade wow factor of the world-class exhibits
and their execution, although the constant darkness and the unrelenting flow of in-your-face
imagery does make for a strangely impersonal experience. The quality of the
sound does leave a lot to be desired in some areas of the venue, although the
acoustics of the place surely do not make that sort of thing easy. As for the launch exhibits, the Klimt and Klee sequences were suitably stimulating... in a high-brow, knowingly
stroke-chin-and-nod-head kind of way; while being in The Cube felt
a little bit like being trapped inside a scary three-dimensional Windows 98 screensaver.
Whatever,
following in the footsteps of the Cité du Vin and the Arkéa Arena concert
venue both opening in recent years, this latest addition to the Bordeaux landscape
is a sure sign that the city is looking to secure a durable and undisputed spot in the big
league of renowned European cultural hotspots. Certainly, on the hot summer’s
day I was there, the makeup of visitors was distinctly international, which is
no mean feat given how so few overseas tourists have made it to Bordeaux this
year.
But there is
a part of me that thinks that the best is yet to come for the Bassins de
Lumières, and that if some innovative, forward-looking creatives really get to
grips with the venue and the possibilities that it offers, and conceive a mainstream
pan-generation-friendly show that is not only technically impressive but also
incorporates a touch of accessible fun, then it could truly make for something quite
astonishing. And it would also give me a great excuse to go back!
> Find it on the Invisible Bordeaux map: Bassins de Lumières,
Base Sous-marine, impasse Brown de Colstoun, Bordeaux
> Full practical
information on the official website: www.bassins-lumieres.com
> Cet article est également disponible en français.
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