SAFETY NET
PROJECT DESCRIPTION : Create an architectural journey for an art gallery, aiming to establish a link between emotions, art, movement, and light. The design of the space must be elevated to the status of art, worthy of being visited as such, without detracting from the real star of the show: the exhibition.
ROLE AND CONTRIBUTION : Definition of the human artistic experience, research on analogous concepts, research on exhibited artworks, creation of spaces, research on architectural processes. Modeling done on Sketchup, plans done on Autocad, renderings done on V-ray.
DATE : December 2024 – 2nd year of bachelor’s degree
Human beings, those great dreamers, cannot stay still. They love their comforts, but nothing satisfies them more than escaping them. They seek out places, people, and unlikely situations as if on a treasure hunt. But why ? Because they are convinced that at the end of the unknown lies a revelation, or at least a good story to tell… like for an exhibition…
Sometimes, adventure begins right before our eyes… within four walls. A gallery doesn’t just display works of art, it showcases them. Lighting, thresholds, and contrasts aren’t there to look pretty, but to make you feel, move, and question. The goal ? To create a place where architecture dances with art, without stealing the spotlight… but enhancing it. All this provoke a reaction, a reflection, an emotion… a true psychological game.
Theme / Philosophy
COMFORT ZONE The place where everything is easy, but where you’re bored to death… no adventure in sight…
SELF-ESTEEM It’s like having an inner fan club, sometimes going full throttle, sometimes on pause, but always there to remind you that you’re not so bad after all.
SELF-CONFIDENCE The ultimate superpower. It tells you that you can succeed even when you mess up.
THE ARTWORKS
Venus Victrix – Canova
The School of Athens – Raphael
The Nightmare – Johann Heinrich Füssli
Narcissus – Caravaggio
The gates of Hell – Rodin
THE EXHIBITION
1 – Pauline on her platform, white room, spotlight on the sculpture. Represents solitude, calm, silence, simplicity.
2 – First walkway, dark reflection space, eye on the rest of the exhibition.
3 – School of Athens mural, with speaker and background noise. Represents the expression of one’s opinion and judgment.
4 – Second bridge, more illuminated, looking forward. Still a notion of “post-work” reflection.
5 – The Nightmare, on a table, like a puzzle, with a piece constantly missing for visitors. Represents the fear of failure.
6 – Last bridge, the further we go, the more difficult it becomes to see the spaces, due to the complexity of emotions during the visit.
7 – Narcissus, displayed as a painting in a hall of mirrors. A play on mental reflection and visual reflection. Represents the fear of seeing oneself as one truly is.
8 – Utility airlock with sanitary access. Continuity of signage towards the exit… or not…
9 – Access to the exit.
10 – Access to the exit, vertical circulation.
11 – Opening onto a new space, if we turn right when we are in the airlock.
12 – Retrospective space, at the foot of the vertical circulation. Discovering elevated spaces. Behind the scenes.
13 – Bonus artwork. The man falling from Rodin’s door. Not shown, but represents letting go, stepping out of one’s comfort zone. Work suspended above a net, for ‘Safety Net’.
14 – View from the bonus artwork.
15 – Exit under the stairs of the retrospective. Return to the reception area and exit the building.
As a reminder :
- Venus Victrix : alone on her platform, white, neutral surroundings, spotlighted solely on the artwork –> Solitude, simplicity, focus on her being from the outset.
- School of Athens : mural with loudspeaker and crowd noise –> Expression of her opinion, her ideas, her judgment despite her surroundings, the voices, the tumult.
- The Nightmare: as a puzzle with a missing piece –> Endless game, pushing to lose to counter the fear of failure, or the need to win.
- Narcissus : in a painting, displayed in a hall of mirrors, reflection of Narcissus and oneself –> Looking at oneself, at who one is, integration.
- Falling Man – The Gates of Hell : bonus artwork, suspended above a safety net –> Letting go, relativity, because ultimately… everything will be okay.
Safety Net offers a gallery with two different purposes :
- An intuitive ending, immediately heading for the exit upon discovering the four artworks. Follow the illuminated path.
- A curious ending, discovering a possible sequel, less noticeable. Retrospective by other visitors, as it is possible to see their route. Behind the scenes. Leads to the bonus artwork, which puts the entire visit into perspective.
Safety Net is a gallery exhibiting artworks of different kinds, but which highlights their profound meaning in relation to self-perception, comfort zones, and relativity. These works are displayed in an unconventional way to encourage reflection and provoke a reaction in visitors.