LUDIK
I emerge from the sticky heat of the subway, and am greeted by an icy gust blocking my exit. I hate every moment I spend outside. I hurry, as does everyone around me. The lady in front of me has stopped. Among the buildings, a shape is enthroned. All in elegant and purified curves, like a huge statue, this polar bear observes the city spread out in front of him, plunged in the winter, his kingdom. The lady left, towards the bear. I am curious. I see black lines on its surface, still indistinct lines inviting me to discover them. As I approach, my gaze is busy defining these lines, revealing the bear not as a simple structure, but as an immense canvas where shape after shape aligns itself. When I arrive at its feet, I am fascinated by the true size of this bear and the tour de force to create an art gallery of this scale. I see that it is an inflatable structure, but disproportionate as nothing seen before. The scene is surreal, the great boreal king descending from his ice pack to deliver a message. His message, he delivers it through the emerging artists who have decorated his being. I realize that this is a meeting between the bear and me. I cross the invisible line to his life. I listen. He tells me his world. He confides in me his fears, where the ice unravels under his paws. He tells me his name, Ludik, and I finish the transition to the ice floe, his home. In the refuge under his paws, I am immersed in a sound and light show. The ever-changing northern lights lull me to the rhythm of the sounds I hear: the music of the people he lives with, the sound of the sea, the roar of the glaciers, the beat of his heart. I notice a marker on his paw, among the drawings. With my smartphone, I take a break to read more about his kind, to have fun with a game and to be revealed the secrets of designing such a project. I also learn the names of the artists, both visual and multimedia, who helped to bring Ludik's message of hope. In the night, the colors still dazzle me as I walk away, happy to have shared such an incredible moment. His black features getting lost in the darkness, Ludik becomes an almost immaterial being, a spirit with boreal colors, powerful but ephemeral.
Optical experience - The first contact will be visual. Ludik, a geodesic mega-sculpture, will be noticed from afar: by day, by its size and brilliance, and by night, by the aurora borealis that will illuminate the Place des Festivals. The spectator will want to approach it first of all by curiosity. Once there, they will discover the works created by different artists on a common theme, transforming Ludik into a gigantic fresco of painted messages.
Sound Experience - As the public approaches, they will experience an auditory immersion in the natural environment of Ludik. Cracking ice, breeze whistling on the ice floe, nearby wildlife, Inuit poems, Ludik's mood... The experience will be held under his belly, protected between his four legs, which will allow the technical support for a 360 degree experience.
Social experience - Ludik becomes a place to meet and share. It brings people together to share experiences, to become aware of the state of things, to show that beauty is all around us and that we must preserve it. Ludik has a strong community and social message.
Sensitive Experience - The sensory side of Ludik is communicated through the emotions felt through the previous experiences. The goal is to raise awareness of the polar bear's condition, to touch and stimulate the public.
(From competitor's text)
(Unofficial automated translation)
In the first stage of the competition, what particularly appealed to the jury about the proposed installation was its monumentality. "The gesture is strong. The figurative installation is intriguing. The colors of the northern lights were also appreciated by the jury members.
During the audition before the jury, the team demonstrated its ability to solve the technical challenges for the implementation of the installation. The proposed structure is coherent. However, it is at the level of the meaning of the work that the team did not convince the jury. The experience with the public remains to be developed and the idea of the works of various artists, as presented, seems to be in connection with the installation.
(From jury report)
(Unofficial automated translation)
13 scanned / 13 viewable
- Presentation Panel
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Plan
- Schema
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Plan
- Construction detail
- Photograph of Model
- Schema
- Conceptual Sketch
- Conceptual Sketch
