The Champs-Élysées have new fountains
Coinciding with the arrival of spring and after three years of work, the new Fontaines des Champs-Élysées have been inaugurated , with the aim of replacing those created in the 19th century by Adolphe Alphand and later by Lalique and Max Ingrand, of which only traces remained.
The Bouroullec brothers have been chosen to carry out this major project and fill the gap that has existed for twenty years in the Champs-Élysées Marcel-Dassault roundabout.
With the creation of the six fountains , French designers intend restore the symmetry and radiance of the roundabout and the prestigious avenue.
Aerial view of the Champs-Élysées Marcel-Dassault roundabout
Their fine structures keep a balance between monumentality and lightness with the intention of blending into the urban landscape, lining up with the trees and tracing the perspective of the Champs Elysees, from the Place de la Concorde to the Place de l'Étoile. Its design has been imagined as a slender chandelier (chandelier) of 13 meters that offers an original choreography of water, light and movement and boasts of its low power consumption.
A) Yes, the set of majestic fountains rotates gently on itself to the measured rhythm of the walkers, subtly mimicking the circulation of the "most beautiful avenue in the world" and the scene of great Parisian celebrations.
“Each one is conceived as a translucent iceberg”, that hides under the ground a complex and precise machinery for its operation, says Ronan Bouroullec.
Each is presided over by a central bronze mast from which branches covered with Swarovski crystal pieces, like luminous chains through which the water circulates before falling in a cascade to the ponds, producing a noise that mitigates the frenzy of the roundabout.
Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec compare the sources with vertical aluminum bronze hue chameleons, that are camouflaged with the characteristic color of Paris stone.
Arms covered with Swarovski crystal pieces depart from the central bronze mast.
Also, its harmonic play of lights is changing thanks to the twinkling of its more than 3,000 pieces of Swarovski crystal, offered by the prestigious house, and the 60 meters of LEDs that illuminate them.
In this way, the brightness of the 14 facets of each crystal and the variations of tones according to the time of day, night or season of the year, create different lighting effects reflecting the moods of the city.
The engineers of the prestigious Austrian company have worked on this challenge conceiving a glass resistant to shocks, weather and urban pollution ; 2.7 tons of material carved to measure, which promise good conservation and durability.
This artistic work has been financed in its entirety through fonds pour paris , an organization that intervenes in the restoration and revitalization of the city's heritage through contemporary art, thanks to the grant from patrons.
Definitely, will open Pandora's box with eclectic reactions , as in his day did the controversial contemporary works that collided with the classicism of historical places such as the Pyramids in the Louvre, the Pompidou Center or Buren's columns in the Palais Royal.
Its harmonic play of lights is changing