Atelier des Lumières

Housed in a fully restored 19th-century foundry, the Atelier des Lumières offers a unique digital and immersive experience in the heart of Paris' Nouvel Est.

An industrial site turned digital art center

Before becoming a digital art center, the Atelier des Lumières was a steel foundry known as the “Fonderie du Chemin-Vert”, opened in 1835 by the Plichon brothers. Owned by 4 generations of Plichons, the foundry was a flourishing business for over 100 years.

The economic crisis of 1929 led to the closure of the foundry. It was sold to the Martin family, the current owners, in 1935.

Culturespaces was looking for a venue that could host a digital art center with immersive exhibitions; after two years of searching for a venue that would both carry an identity and have ample space, Culturespaces chose the Chemin-Vert foundry. Two years of work will be required before opening to the public on April 26, 2018. This rehabilitation is in line with the trend to upgrade and transform the industrial heritage of eastern Paris.

Almost 80 years later, Bruno Monnier, Chairman of Culturespaces, has rediscovered this forgotten industrial heritage and decided to turn it into a digital art center, featuring immersive exhibitions dedicated to the greatest artists in art history, as well as more contemporary creations.

An event space offering a unique immersive experience

Developed by Culturespaces, immersive digital exhibitions are based on thousands of digitized images of works of art, broadcast in very high resolution via fiber optics and set in motion to the rhythm of music. They are made possible by a video installation featuring 140 projectors and spatialized sound diffused by 50 speakers.

These digital exhibitions are developed using AMIEX (Art and Music Immersive Experience) technology, developed by Culturespaces since 2012, whose specially calibrated projectors enable images to follow the contours of the old foundry.

The Atelier des Lumières, with a total surface area of 1300m², is organized into two areas:

  • La Halle: the main space of the Atelier des Lumières, has preserved its original metal structure and characteristic elements of the former foundry.
  • The Studio: smaller in size, it is equipped with a bar and occasionally hosts multimedia works by young creators and directors.

Projections at the Atelier des Lumières follow the theme of the exhibitions… or can be customized for your event.

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