By playing with reflections and their impact on the experience of a space, Arnaud Lapierre’s installation changes the rhythm and urban flow of Place Vendôme in Paris. Created for the FIAC 2011 Conference, sponsored by Audi, a reflective cylinder composed of mirrored blocks stacked in a variegated fashion is placed on a public surface, surrounded by classical buildings.

Through the implementation of an optical effect: the repetition of cubic mirrors, the conventional perception of the space is “shattered”. By segmenting the appearance of the square, a new reading of space is introduced. The structure establishes a different kind of interaction between individuals, built space and movement. The facets of each cube reflect the place and reconstruct a paradigm that breaks the reading of the course. The Ring works at this stage as a visual intrusion, an acceleration that changes the perception of the visited place. On the other hand, the circular layout of the structure invites the visitor to step inside, exposing him to collided images of details, intimacy and outside spatiality. The Ring visually deconstructs space, but does not reconfigure it physically; it leaves the elements in the state of decomposed images, pieces of a puzzle hovering and waiting to be reassembled.

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