mehmet ali uysal hangs two massive icebergs at le bon marché in paris

SU BY MEHMET ALI UYSAL IS AN URGENT CALL ON GLOBAL WARMING

from january 8 until february 20th, visitors to le bon marché in paris will encounter two giant icebergs hanging from the ceiling. envisioned by contemporary turkish artist mehmet ali uysal and titled SU, the installation takes over the store’s atrium, creating an urgent call on global warming.

known for his large-scale installation, mehmet ali uysal continues with le bon marché’s commitment to art, following the interventions of prune nourry, nendo, MANA, joana vasconcelos, leandro elrich, edoardo tresoldi, chiharu shiota and ai weiwei.

images courtesy of le bon marché

DIVIDED INTO THREE DISTINCTIVE PARTS, THE ARTIST WANTED TO CREATE A NARRATIVE WITH A HOPEFUL ENDING

water floods le bon marché rive gauche this winter thanks to the immersive creations by mehmet ali uysal, from the turquoise waves reflected in the window displays to the gigantic icebergs nudging the beauty corners on the ground floor. it is an installation with a strong message that questions the current climate issues and how they wash over our lives and thoughts.

visitors first encounter the windows facing the rue de sèvres which evoke the melting of the glaciers. once, inside the atrium, the two massive icebergs hanging from the ceiling suggest the place has been submerged completely underwater. made of a silver fabric, the two structures measure over 2 meters in length and echo the melting ice in our glaciers. the third and final part of the installation sees a 17-meter by 8-meter white boat, shaped like the paper boats we made as children built by the artist — somehow like noah’s ark — which exudes hope.

‘personally, like many people living in cities, I had not had to face the effects of climate change directly,’ said mehmet ali uysal. ‘this summer, I experienced it for the first time, it was intense, tangible. I was in turkey where I had a workshop in the forest. for almost three weeks we were surrounded by forest fires. it was unimaginable, the forest caught fire because the climate was hot and dry. that was when I realized that something was changing, both in the world and in my personal life as well. I had to stay close to the area ablaze to protect the place and be sure that no new fires started.’

‘everyone will soon notice these changes, it won’t be in 15 years, it’s imminent…’ the artist continued. ‘I am not an activist, but I’ve been more aware of the situation for a few years. I try to find out more about it. it’s not much, of course, but little by little I measure the consequences of climate change. I learn and I try to act at my level. I am not a politician, but I try to get involved personally in acting to deal with the problems.’

the massive hanging icebergs are made of a silver fabric