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Fountains of Light an Advanced State of Disrepair, Which Is How They Remained Until Now

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Fountains of Light an Advanced State of Disrepair, Which Is How They Remained Until Now L6 5-7 April 2019 Life&Leisure The Australian Financial Review | www.afr.com AFR DESIGN PARIS birds created by master glass craftsman Rene´ Lalique; these were replaced in the ’ 50s by more robust fittings that endured until 1998, when crowds of soccer fans celebrating France’s World Cup win proved even more robust. The fountains were left in Fountains of light an advanced state of disrepair, which is how they remained until now. As glaringly contemporary as they are, Brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec have made their mark the Bouroullec fountains have their source in the rich and turbulent history of Paris. “It on the Champs-E´lyse´es in spectacular fashion, writes Stephen Todd. was important to express this continuity, in particular with Lalique’s beautiful glass work,” says Ronan. “To create something at once tough, monumental and romantic.” He notes that their crystal designs have been stress-tested to endure “harsh winds and other disturbing elements”. That the fonts terminate four metres above the ground is not just for aesthetic reasons. The fountains, Ronan points out, are higher than the regulation lamp posts but shorter than the trees (which each year are trimmed to the same height). “We had to make life-size models in aluminium to be really certain of the dimensions. We’d been tempted to make the fountains 20 metres high but realised that would be over-scaled. As they are, they create a harmony with their surroundings.” The project combines more than 5360 pieces assembled by some 250 men and women across 35 workshops in France and Austria. The Champs-E´lyse´es is the main artery of Above: two of the six Paris and the pulse point for measuring the fountains on the The project combines more than 5360 city’s mood – elation and triumph, anger Champs-E´lyse´es, pieces assembled by some 250 men and and despair, all are registered here. It’s looking toward the women in more than 35 workshops across down the two kilometres of this “most Arc de Ttriomphe. France and Austria. (“It’s a process based on beautiful avenue in the world” that German Right: Erwan and a collective intelligence,” Ronan says.) troops paraded after the fall of France in Ronan Bouroullec Commissioned by mayor Anne Hidalgo, 1940, to be followed by American forces with a prototype. they are part of an ambitious marking the Allied liberation four years Below: Nadja redevelopment of the Champs-E´lyse´es, later. It’s where the Tour de France finishes Swarovski. financed primarily by businesses with every July, last year’s World Cup victory was interests along the avenue. Galeries feˆted and Jean Seberg shall forever hawk Lafayette, one of the donors, opened a store the “New York Herald Tribune,New York there last week. Dassault Aviation has also Herald Tribune!” in Jean-Luc Godard’s contributed since its HQ sits on the Rond- classic 1960 film, Breathless. Point. The Qatari sovereign fund chipped in Since mid-November, les Champs (“the too: the owner of the celebrated Paris-Saint Fields”), as they are locally known, have Germain soccer club holds real estate – been the stage for violent weekly protests by most prominently, the PSG flagship – along ‘‘Yellow Jackets’’ denouncing the widening the Champs-E´lyse´es. gap between the Parisian elite and people Ronan Bouroullec was born in Quimper, struggling in the regions. Brittany, in 1971 and studied at the E´cole It’s perhaps not the most propitious Nationale des Arts De´coratifs in Paris while moment to install a new €6.3 million his younger brother Erwan went to the ($10 million) fountain strung with garlands E´cole des Beaux-Arts of Cergy Pontoise. The of bespoke Swarovski crystal. But for pair has worked together since 1999, designer Ronan Bouroullec, “to be able to headquarters in the working-class 10th designing critically acclaimed and inscribe a new work on this avenue which is arrondissement, far from the glitz and commercially successful collections for so often the place the French come to glamour of the Champs-E´lyse´es. While prestigious brands including Cappellini, express their anger and their joy, is an Erwan, the younger of the siblings, is Magis, Samsung and Vitra. They’ve been incredible opportunity’’. evaluating prototypes at a nearby table, commissioned to design furniture for Ronan, who in partnership with his Ronan, the more gregarious of the pair, Franc¸ois Pinault’s private museum near Les brother Erwan helms arguably the most explains their process. Halles, due to open this year, and have important French design studio working “The Champs-E´lyse´es is not a place either designed works for public spaces including today, spent three years developing the Erwan or I exactly spend a lot of time a cloudlike canopy in the Miami Design project that was unveiled last month. While strolling about, so we began to visit at District and park benches in Copenhagen. conceived as a single work, the ‘‘fountain’’ is various times of the day to see how people They were the first contemporary composed of six identical fountains arrayed use the area. We also needed to go really designers to be invited to create a piece for around the historical Rond-Point deep into the research, to understand the permanent installation at the Chaˆteau de (roundabout) of the Champs-E´lyse´es, history and significance of the place.’’ Versailles. That chandelier is also roughly halfway between the Place de la They delved back to the 17th century, constructed from bespoke Swarovski crystal Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe. when Louis XIV ordered his landscape components and can be considered the Each fountain comprises three angled architect Andre´LeNoˆtre (the mastermind progenitor of the Champs-E´lyse´es fountains. tubes – made of luminous, interlocking behind the gardens of Versailles) to create a “As with the Versailles project, these six crystal segments – suspended four metres grand promenade, extending the gardens of Above: a craftsman fountains represented an incredible above the ground from a central bronze the Tuileries from the Louvre Palace to works on a technical challenge,” says Nadja Swarovski, mast 13 metres high. Water pumped up what is now the Rond-Point. component at the member of the executive board. through the mast pours down the tubes into That avenue was extended further after Swarovski workshop “Realising Ronan and Erwan’s amazing the ponds below in clear, streaming jets – Napole´on I commissioned the Arc de in Austria. Left: design truly pushed the limits of innovation. dignified, even stoic on a calm day; Triomphe in 1806 to celebrate victory in the Ronan Bouroullec Our master cutters and engineers worked billowing dramatically when it’s blustery. Battle of Austerlitz and commemorate handles a bespoke- for over a year to develop the bespoke Rotating on their axes at the rate of half a his troops. cut crystal element. crystal cut and we designed a patented new round per minute (that is, almost When Baron Georges-Euge`ne component that allows us to install the imperceptibly), the chunky crystal Haussmann redesigned the entire city in the crystal outdoors and resist the components glint discreetly. At night, latter half of the 19th century, he transformed environment. We are delighted with the illuminated from within, they emanate a the Rond-Point into an elegant roundabout stunning result.” gentle glimmer. that included the first incarnation of six And, so it seems, is most of Paris – foot “It’s almost like a mirage,” says Ronan. peripheral fountains. They marked a and car traffic has increased exponentially “We wanted something that would be transition in the ascent of les Champs from since the unveiling of the fountains. Le imposing, but also delicate. We had to take the Tuileries to what was fast becoming the Monde newspaper called them “six joyous into account the historical context but also most bustling of fashionable avenues. and surprising objects” reflecting “the lights create something of its time. ” In the 1930s the fountains were of the city and the flash of selfies in We’re seated at the Bouroullecs’ ornamented with art deco squirrels and action’’. L&L AFRGA1 L006.
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