the lighthouse in saint-tropez, france, has been transformed with a vibrant display of corals created by french artist miguel chevalier. the public artwork is called ‘coraux fractals 1’ and it marks the fourth edition of saint-tropez couleur bleu, an event initiated by agnès bouquet that merges culture, heritage and environment. chevalier’s design is composed of printed and hand-painted corals that are brought to life with fluorescent colors in a bid to highlight fragile ocean ecosystems.
image by marc de delley (also main image)
the artistic installation takes the form of a canvas that wraps the lighthouse and transforms it into a ‘manifeste de couleur’ (color manifesto). to create the large scale piece, chevalier revisits the shape of coral through a digital prism. set against a deep blue background, massive branches of corals overlap to evoke an underwater reef.
image by marc de delley
‘coraux fractals 1’ stands as a vibrant beacon during the day and also at night thanks to UV spotlights that chevalier incorporated to bring out the fluorescent colors. the artistic coral reef becomes luminescent at night in a similar effect to bioluminescence, which is the production and emission of light by living organisms, an effect commonly found in marine animals from the deepest oceans, out of the reach of sunlight.
image by marc de delley
with this piece, the artist explores our relationship with the living, the visible, and the invisible. it addresses fragile coral ecosystems, which are some of the most threatened in the world while being home to a diversity that must be preserved. it seeks to recreate the conditions for symbiosis between humans and nature.
image by marc de delley
in parallel to this event, linda and guy pieters foundation presents an exhibition titled ‘corauxllages – miguel chevalier’. the artist presents more than thirty new artworks inspired by the marine universe and corals. using laser cutting technology and glued paper, chevalier evokes coral reefs, algae trees, and even blood vessels or neural networks. these very graphic and vividly colored collages also pay tribute to matisse’s ‘papiers collées’ (cut-outs). the exhibition is on view until august 29 and the lighthouse installation is on display. until november 4, 2021
film by claude mossessian
image by marc de delley
image by marc de delley
an accompanying exhibition titled ‘corauxllages’ is on view at fondation linda et guy pieters in saint-tropez
the ‘corauxllages’ exhibition is open until august 29, 2021
project info:
name: coraux fractals 1
location: saint-tropez, france
artist: miguel chevalier
event: fourth edition of saint-tropez couleur bleu created by agnès bouquet
dates: june 12 – november 4, 2021
partners: ville de saint-tropez, north sails, fondation linda et guy pieters, hôtel de paris saint-tropez
painting of the corals: olivier costa
photography: marc de delley
film: claude mossessian
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: lynne myers | designboom
