Carrières de Lumières: an Immersion in Digital Art

Historically, the Provence region of France is home to so many great artists. It’s no wonder that this region would house a hidden digital art installation.

In 2016, I was living and working in Singapore. A work trip took me to the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. And during the weekend, I made the 3 hour journey south to Provence. Not your stereotypical weekend in Provence – full of flowy dresses, sun hats, and lavendar fields. No no, this was autumn in Provence. And although beautiful, not lavendar season and dreadfully filled with rain. So, where to hide from the rain? Into a stone quarry, obviously.

1. Hidden in the Val d’Enfer

Nestled within the Alpilles Natural Regional Park (Parc naturel régional des Alpilles), within reach of Saint Remy de Provence, is a former stone quarry. The village of Les Baux-de-Provence and neighboring castles used these limestone slabs in their construction, until the 1930s. From then, construction ceased and resulted in the abandonment of the white limestone quarries. So, what remained from those days? Large stone rooms carved into the hillside valley.

2. Carrières de Lumières (Quarries of Light)

Well, what to do with large, white, stone rooms? The obvious answer is to project high definition digital art onto its giant walls. Brought to you by CultureSpaces, this digital art immersion, combined with an expertly paired soundtrack, lifts you from your physical existence inside a stone quarry into a magical realm.

This is Carrières de Lumières – Quarries of the Light.

2.1 Chagall, Midsummer Night’s Dream

Dedicated to the life and art of Marc Chagall, the exhibition at Carrières de Lumières ran from March 2016 to January 2017. Before this, I only recognized Chagall by name, as a painter, but did not know much else.

Marc Chagall (1887 – 1985), a Russian-French artist, was generally referred to by art critics as the “quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century.” He’s most famous for stained glass windows, adorning the Reims Cathedral and Metz Cathedral in France, and others as far as the Art Institute of Chicago and Jerusalem. In addition to stained glass windows, Chagall also painted large -scale paintings and murals. Stylistically, his art follows cubism and expressionism.

Below, you’ll see a few photos of mine from my visit to the Carrières de Lumières.

Now that you’ve made it through my old, dark iPhone photos from 2016, you’ll be rewarded with some high definition photos, courtesy of Getty Images. The photos are specifically from the Chagall exhibition, so you can have a clearer vision of my experience.

2.2 Visiting Carrières de Lumières

Centrally located in the South of France, Carrières de Lumières is a simple stop on your Provencal road trip.

• 1 hour away from Aix-en-Provence,
• 30 minutes from Arles, and
• 15 minutes from Saint-Remy-de-Provence.

If you’re coming from Saint-Remy-de-Provence to the north, beware of the winding mountainous roads. You can see what I mean in the area on the map below.

A few things to note:

1. Tickets for Carrières de Lumières cost 13 EUR for adults, with senior and student discounts available.
2. You can book tickets online, here.
3. Carrières de Lumières is also fully accessible for visitors in wheelchairs.
4. Because of it’s location inside a stone quarry, it can be quite cool inside. It’d be wise to have a light jacket or cardigan, just in case.
5. Carrières de Lumières is set to re-open on 19 May 2021. It is typically open daily, with differing hours depending on the month and tourist season. However, up to date information on visiting can be found, here.

Please note that some products or referrals in this post are affiliate links (in green) and if you go through them to make a purchase or booking, I will earn a commission. I share these product and booking links because they are related to the post and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours whether to click through and make a purchase through these links.

3. Atelier des Lumières

Currently, there are a few sister exhibitions, also run by CultureSpaces. These exhibitions also feature digital art, projected onto the walls and ceilings of large rooms. The other locations are:

1. Paris, France;
2. Toronto, Canada;
3. Bordeaux, France – (Bassins de Lumières).

From the Paris exhibition of Atelier des Lumières

3.1 Toronto’s new exhibit, in the time of coronavirus

By now, you may be wondering what the point of this post is, now, four years after my original visit. With CultureSpaces’ newest exhibit based in Toronto, Immersive Van Gogh, to adapt to coronavirus, they’ve developed a unique idea. Its previews, held between 18 – 28 June, 2020, will be a “drive through” preview – meaning, you’ll be able to immerse yourself in the digital art world of Van Gogh, while sitting in the comfort of your car.

Please note that some products or referrals in this post are affiliate links (in green) and if you go through them to make a purchase or booking, I will earn a commission. I share these product and booking links because they are related to the post and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours whether to click through and make a purchase through these links.

3.2 Health and safety, during an Immersive Van Gogh visit

From 1 July 2020, when the exhibit fully opens, you’ll be able to walk through the exhibition site on foot. For coronavirus precautions, they’ve promised entry at a limited capacity, which allows for 75 square feet of space per person. Immersive Van Gogh’s website also lists the following health and safety features:

• Touchless exhibit — you will not need to touch anything that can be touched by other patrons to enjoy the exhibit
• All patrons are requested to wear masks
• All staff will be wearing masks
• Enhanced sensors at entry to detect symptomatic staff and patrons
• Disinfectant stations through-out the venue
• Frequent disinfectant cleaning of venue surfaces and floors

3.3 Booking your Van Gogh digital art experience

Currently, only time-specific entrances are available to book online. It’s considerably more expensive than when I visited in Provence. Ranging between C$34.99 on weekdays to C$39.99 on weekends, the elevated price tag may because of the above enhanced safety features due to coronavirus. I’m not entirely too sure.

However, it appears that CultureSpaces is taking the need for physical distancing seriously, and enhancing their experience accordingly.

Parting Thoughts

Whether you’re in France or Toronto, if you love art and want to enjoy it in a modern, new way, I highly recommend Carrières de Lumières and Atelier des Lumières. As an art lover, I absolutely loved it. Although Chagall isn’t my favorite artist, I enjoyed learning about him through the exhibit and again whilst researching this post. Without a doubt, if the exhibit showed your favorite artists, it’d be exponentially more enjoyable.

As a reminder, although I only visited the Provence location, I presume the experiences in Paris and Toronto to be similar and exceptionally interesting. I especially appreciate the additional health and safety considerations in the time of coronavirus. As always, stay healthy and stay safe!

For those art lovers, check out my posts on:

• favorite art from the National Galleries of Scotland;
• art nouveau in Brno, Czechia;
• the best places to visit for Van Gogh fans;
• Giverny, Monet’s gardens and home.

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

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