edoardo tresoldi suspends mesh and metal architectural ruins within le bon marché

suspended from the glass ceilings of le bon marché rive gauche in paris is edoardo tresoldi’s ephemeral interpretation of ‘architecture in ruins’. presented during maison et objet and paris design week 2017, the installation draws from neoclassicism and the italian renaissance palazzo. tresoldi’s ‘aura’ takes the form of two enormous domes, one made from wire mesh and the other in corrugated sheet metal — a material he uses for the first time. while the two installations express a stylistic dichotomy, they remain in constant dialogue with each other.

the italian artist joins the likes of ai weiwei and chiharu shiota who have also exhibited work at the prestigious department store in recent years.

the installations are suspended from the glass ceilings of le bon marché rive gauche in paris
image by roberto conte

while tresoldi’s two installations have an almost identical shape, they differ in material characteristics and architectural history. the wire mesh artwork — a medium typical to the artist’s practice — has a subtractive aesthetic expressed through the depiction of absence.

on the other hand, the dome in corrugated metal sheet takes the form of an empty shell. like an abandoned bird’s nest, the structure bears witness to a life born that eventually leaves for somewhere else — an idea that relates to the passing of time.

tresoldi creates an ephemeral interpretation of ‘architecture in ruins’
image by roberto conte

the pair of artworks represent an ‘architectural ghost’ evoked by the decomposition of shapes and the use of industrial materials. suspended in the halls of le bon marché, the two artworks are ‘like relics on display in an 18th century natural history museum,’ the artist describes. ‘by observing them, visitors trace back the historicity of architecture through its components.’