Basilica of Saint-Denis, France
Commissioned by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux
2014, light installation
This light installation involves the recumbent statues at St Denis Basilica. Light is inscribed onto and into the stone, like a motionless, suspended comet attaching itself to the east-facing statues. The projected light is rectilinear, starting at the face and running along the draped body. It creates luminous curves, makes the shapes appear mobile, and opens up new pathways. It is almost as if a geometrist of light had come here to create a formal pattern, echoed in ultimately sinuous light, on each of the fourteen statues. The chromatic value of the light changes imperceptibly, from red to purple to blue. The continuity and discontinuity of the luminous form make the statues appear to move: it is a kind of metamorphosis.
LED projectors, gantry, metal, gel filters, computer programme