marismezulis

Louvre Abu Dhabi, 2009

Two-channel digital film installation, 1:1 aspect, quadrophonic sound; 6'46" loop

A study of the materiality and movement of light in Jean Nouvel’s Abu Dhabi Louvre. The enormous dome canopy over the museum filters the desert sun to project a mesmerizing, ever-changing pattern of light onto the floor and walls of the pavilions below. Realized years before the building was complete, the installation transports the viewer into a cinematic dream sequence that gently bends the constraints of physical reality. Beams of light appear to solidify as they sweep towards the foreground and physically emerge from the screen to slide across the floor, showering the viewer with patterns of light from overhead, while the soundscape expands the space beyond the frame edges.


Commissioned by Jean Nouvel. Produced by Artefactorylab in collaboration with Ateliers Jean Nouvel. Sound by Victor Belin. Exhibited as part of a private view of the Louvre Museum collection (Abu Dhabi), May 2009.

© MARIS MEZULIS