musings on a glass box by DS+R opens at fondation cartier
photo © luc boegly

 

 

 

musings on a glass box
fondation cartier pour l’art contemporain, paris
open now until february 22, 2015

 

 

paris’ fondation cartier continues to commemorate its 30th anniversary with an installation created by interdisciplinary design studio diller scofidio + renfro. using the institution’s existing architecture as the framework for the project, ‘musings on a glass box’ occupies the entire ground floor of the jean nouvel-designed building, generating an immersive and captivating environment split between two adjacent gallery spaces.

diller scofidio renfro fondation cartier musings on a glass box designboom
the exhibition occupies the entire ground floor of the jean nouvel-designed building
photo © luc boegly

 

 

 

in the first volume, a fabricated leak in the ceiling generates single droplets of water, which then fall from 12 specified points in the structure’s roof. each drip is then caught below in a red robotic bucket that moves in synchronization with the falling water. at the same time, an enormous LED screen hung within the neighboring gallery invites visitors to view nouvel’s ceiling from the perspective of the bucket, projecting a wavy and distorted image.

diller scofidio renfro fondation cartier musings on a glass box designboom
the enormous LED screen invites visitors to view nouvel’s ceiling from a different perspective
photo © luc boegly

 

 

 

‘using a cliché of time lapsed and the appearance of neglect, the project begins with a single, mischievous leak from the ceiling‘, explains elizabeth diller and ricardo scofidio. ‘the two ground floor galleries interconnect in a feedback loop. small gestures in the large gallery are amplified in the smaller one, making the familiar seem uncanny and turning the banal into the grotesque’.

diller scofidio renfro fondation cartier musings on a glass box designboom
a wavy and distorted image is created
photo © luc boegly

 

 

 

an integrated acoustic component of the piece is provided by american composer david lang and sound designer jody elff whose music works with the structure to raise questions regarding transparency and perception. an additional component of the design are the glazed walls, which feature a smart film developed by specialists glass apps that enable them to switch between transparent, translucent and opaque filters.

diller scofidio renfro fondation cartier musings on a glass box designboom
drips from the ceiling are caught in a robotically programed red bucket below
photo © luc boegly

 

 

 

‘musings on a glass box is also about the extraordinary value contemporary culture puts on high fidelity vision and sound’, DS+R continues. ‘one gallery feels rather dumb but is hyper intelligent. everyday objects communicate in strange ways. the other gallery is apparently intelligent but low res and abstract.’

 

‘musings on a glass box’ is open at the fondation cartier pour l’art contemporain in paris until february 22, 2015.

diller scofidio renfro fondation cartier musings on a glass box designboom
the bucket moves in synchronization with the falling water
photo © luc boegly

diller scofidio renfro fondation cartier musings on a glass box designboom
photo © luc boegly

diller scofidio renfro fondation cartier musings on a glass box designboom
a camera and sensors within the container relay information back to the LED screen
photo © luc boegly

diller scofidio renfro fondation cartier musings on a glass box designboom
glazed walls switch between transparent, translucent and opaque filters
photos © luc boegly

 

 


musings on a glass box – diller, scofidio + renfro – 2014
video by simon bouisson / courtesy of fondation cartier pour l’art contemporain

 

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musings on a glass box
diller scofidio + renfro in collaboration with david lang and jody elff
project leader: matthew johnson assisted by trevor lamphier and patrice gardera
engineering: perfection electricks
smart film provided by glass apps