ring resin chandelier sculptures by miguel chevalier illuminate athletes' village for paris 2024

Ondes de lumière by Miguel Chevalier lights up Saint-Denis

As part of the ‘1 building, 1 work’ charter, Vinci Immobilier commissioned artist Miguel Chevalier to create ‘Ondes de lumière’ for the Universeine district in Saint-Denis, the central hub of the athletes’ village for Paris 2024. This installation, part of the ‘Courants Fertiles’ artistic approach by SOLIDEO and labeled ‘Cultural Olympiad’ by Paris 2024, integrates seamlessly with the architectural design by Béal & Blanckaert, Pascal Gontier, Lina Ghotmeh, and Gaëtan Le Penhuel.

The artwork consists of eight organic-shaped resin chandelier sculptures, suspended from the ceilings of five porches in the two blocks of buildings along Allée de la Seine. Crafted from Acrylic crystal Dacryl® and recycled ALTUGLAS™ R-Life, these sculptures incorporate LED ribbons and gobo projectors, varying in size to create a dynamic visual impact.

all images by Thomas Granovsky

wave phenomena inspire Chevalier’s chandelier installations

Drawing inspiration from the movements of the Seine River, the artist materializes wave phenomena in a stylized, relief-like manner. During the day, natural light interacts with the sculptures, creating a subtle interplay of transparency and translucency. At night, the sculptures illuminate, transforming into large, colorful drapes that project a succession of concentric rings onto the ground, symbolizing the propagation of light waves and interference patterns.

Each porch is thus transformed into a vibrant universe of energy, with light introducing a sensitive and welcoming atmosphere. This results in a soft and colorful ambiance that infuses the space with a sense of dream and poetry. The five successive installations provide a distinct identity and uniqueness to the group of buildings, making the sculptures visible and engaging for both residents and passersby.

‘Ondes de lumière’ by Miguel Chevalier, commissioned for the Universeine district in Saint-Denis

eight organic-shaped resin chandelier sculptures are suspended from the ceilings of five porches

incorporating LED ribbons and gobo projectors, the sculptures vary in size for dynamic impact

sculptures crafted from Acrylic crystal Dacryl® and recycled ALTUGLAS™ R-Life

at night, the sculptures illuminate, transforming into large, colorful drapes

each porch becomes a vibrant universe of energy with a welcoming atmosphere

five successive installations provide distinct identity and uniqueness to the buildings

project info:

name: Ondes de lumière
designer: Miguel Chevalier | @miguel_chevalier

location: Saint-Denis, Paris, France

photography, video: Thomas Granovsky | @tgranovsky

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