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Labyrinthe de Lumiére

Labyrinthe de Lumiére, Paris, France

Labyrinthe de Lumiére is a 64 foot long mural [the first three panels of sixteen are shown below] created for the La Cite des Sciences et de l’Industrie in 1989 to commemorate the bicentennial of the French Revolution. The piece celebrates 200 years of revolution in science and technology.

Client: La Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, Paris, France

Description/Materials: Polage art

Size: 16 Panels. 48” square each. 64 feet long

Special Features: Interactive with light box

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In these first panels you see an image of Icarus in a hot air balloon which morphs into a space shuttle. It took 2000 years from the dreams of Icarus to the first time mankind saw rooftops from the sky–the Montgolfier Brothers were responsible for that flight. But from that historic moment to flights on the space shuttle was a mere 200 years.

This mural is packed with informative imagery that will hold a viewer’s attention while a docent or guide weaves together the stories of technological development. The imagery acts like signposts or milestones in a journey through history.

This project required months of research and hearkened back to the earliest days of art, when art was the story of culture told in symbols, telling the story of our cultural development. Similarly, this piece tells the story of our development in science and technology.

Labyrinthe de Lumiére tells a story in an illustrative way, communicating effectively to those who don’t necessarily have a background in science or technology. The viewer is held by the interactivity while listening to the story that ties these symbols together. In this way, Polage makes a remarkable learning tool for museums.

Labyrinthe de Lumiére has been exhibited at Lourdes and is available from La Cité Des Sciences et de l’Industrie for touring.