Saturday, June 30, 2007


CATHEDRAL D'IMAGES


Today we had an amazing experience when we visited this astonishing place located in a former marble quarry just outside Les Baux in the heart of the Alpilles mountain chain (which in itself is quite a sight).
It is rather difficult to explain just exactly what the Cathedrale D’Images is all about but I shall try.

You enter the vast empty marble quarry, it is 30C outside but when inside the temp drops to about 15C so sweaters are immediately donned.

Inside some 4000 square metres of the smooth quarry walls act as great natural screens with some 50 projectors showing 3000 images ranging from 7 – 20 metres in height.
The previous year when Deb & Mark were here the subject was Cezanne and it was like a giant gallery of all of Cezanne’s work.

This year though the subject was Venice and it was absolutely stunning. Set to the music of Vivaldi (of course), Verdi, Handel and others we were treated as we walked through the vast empty underground quarry to a visual treat of Venetian art, opera, scenes from through the ages, and movie footage all on these giant natural screens.
I cannot do it justice but truly iIt was inspirational, magical and like nothing else we have ever witnessed.
The ballroom scene from Verdi’s La Traviata was especially impressive.




And for some of the images go here.

No comments: