two new projects by ronan & erwan bouroullec, called ruisseau and ring, have been added to the permanent installation exhibited at the vitra campus in weil am rhein. the sculptures analyze the relationship between urban space and nature, focusing on the overarching theme of how natural elements, such as plants and water, can improve quality of life in urban spaces.
image by julien lanoo © vitra
situated along the alvaro siza promenade, the bouroullec‘s installations invite visitors to enjoy the natural elements present in the vitra campus. ruisseau is a narrow channel carved in a marble base, filled with running water. ring is a circular platform made of galvanized steel, which encircles a cherry tree to serve as a collective bench.
image by julien lanoo © vitra
carved into marble, ruisseau, a small shallow groove, furrows a path between the fields and trees. sloping and into the garden, a melody of running water guides passersby while creating a sense of wonderment or a melancholic distraction. meanwhile, ring appears to float above the ground outlining a low-resting halo around one of nature’s creations whilst providing a welcoming place to relax, meet and chat with others.
image © studio bouroullec
‘our aim is to give a new sense of magic to the places where we walk, meet and talk’, explains ronan bouroullec. ‘the scenarios we develop should consequently be both pragmatic and poetic.’
image by julien lanoo © vitra
ruisseau and ring are products of the exhibition rêveries urbaines (urban reveries), a wide-ranging study of possible development solutions for very different urban situations, which was presented in rennes and at the vitra design museum in 2016. cities such as aarhus and miami have since adopted and implemented several of their concepts for public spaces.
image © studio bouroullec
image by julien lanoo © vitra
