light dances through bureau betak's dramatic mirror-filled pavilion for dior spring 2018 show

bureau betak designs a mirrored pavilion for dior’s spring 2018 collection presented at the musée rodin, paris. the design, inspired by niki de saint phalle’s jardin des tarots, pulls from elements of the artist’s career-long project — her gaudi-esque mosaic-filled, sculpture garden in tuscany. the pavilion’s stark white, concrete interior is decorated with clusters of mirror pieces that creep up the walls, and along the floor and ceiling. 

bureau betak’s design transforms dior spring collection debut into a dramatic light show
image © bureau betak (main video © dior)

bureau betak’s design for the space required the artisans to hand place over 80,000 mirror shards throughout the interior with the strongest concentration at the far end the space — giving the runway’s portal the feeling of a frozen wonderland. as dior’s models entered and moved around the runway’s central bench seating, the mirrors created a luminous space — picking up and reflecting the bold colors of maria grazia chiuri’s dior collection throughout the interior. the overall dim lighting allowed the mirror’s reflections to dance on the walls above the seated viewers. 

each of the 80,000 mirrors was placed throughout the undulating concrete interior
image © dior

the design was inspired by niki de saint phalle’s jardin des tarots
image © dior

niki de saint phalle’s sculpture garden was also inspired by the artist’s visit to gaudí’s park güell
image © dior

the mirrors reflected the bold and exciting colors presented in the dior spring 2018 collection
image © dior

the interior’s rough white concrete creates a strong contrast against the shiny smooth mirrored surfaces
image © dior

the runway’s entrance was strongly lit with its walls and ceiling completely covered in mirrored pieces
image © bureau betak

as the models processed down the runway, the lighting became dimmer with sporadic mirror clusters 
image © bureau betak

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