matali crasset suspends books in a circular monorail for le consortium's bookstore in dijon

matali crasset has created two permanent bookshop areas for les presses du réel, the publishing house of le consortium museum in dijon, combining a space to exhibit the publications and a platform for exchange and discussions. the project’s concept pays tribute to françois truffaut’s film fahrenheit 451, based on the science fiction novel by ray bradbury, a dystopia where books are forbidden and fire fighters burn any that are found. 

all photos by philippe piron

finding a great analogy between the storyline of fahrenheit 451 and the present context in which culture is in crisis and independent public spaces are all the more necessary, matali crasset draws on the monorail from truffaut’s film to create an ellipse that stops anything from being attached to the wall while allowing books to hang  in a circular space. six yellow crates reachable from both sides are suspended from the orange monorail, which crosses six white presentation areas. each crate is dedicated to a section or collection of les presses du réel: artists’ writings, monographs, and historic texts on utopia such as those of charles fourier. the colors of the structure and the wall behind bring to mind defunct television test cards, while at the center, books can be presented in an area with space for about 20 people.