CARRIERES de LUMIERES

 Perhaps the most common question asked regarding my French adventure was, "What was your favorite part of your trip? 

My answer really has to do with something I had never done before and the reason we detoured to Aix du Provence to visit Les Baux's  Les Carrières de Lumières, Quarries of Light. When researching special art exhibits in France, this particular exhibit had received great reviews but I had no clue what was in store for us. 

Oh, I have visited a quarry before but never the inside of the cave created from the removal of the stone nor experienced a multi media presentation inside such a cave. (This particular quarry mined limestone. ) I had actually envisioned walking through a normal gallery space with projected 3-D art works and in the evening presentation viewing the presentation sitting outside on chairs watching a power point on the side of a cliff but this perception was way off base.
Sally and I did a double viewing and went to see the 2017 Quarries of Light "The Fantastic and Wonderful World of Bosch, Arcimboldo and Brueghel" which runs until January 2018 in the afternoon and then returned in the evening with Jim for the Revue of past featured artists including Chagall, Raphael, Michaelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Klimt and Vienna.  

one could walk into an open part of the quarry

Thank goodness for sweaters as the contrast from the heat of the day and our 10 minute walk into the cave's cool interior was quite a shocking change in temperature.  The enormous cavernous space could hold a lot of people. There were no chairs. Even the couple hundred visitors who were there for during our visit spread out like ants on individual missions as each meandered through the space/ stood still.  Each wall, floor/ ceiling had a different projection as a dozen + slide projectors worked furiously accompanied by the same booming musical selection, mostly classical, resounding through the cave.

One could leave the dark cave and enter an open part of the quarry for a break/ to read info about the artists/ producer for a refreshment/ bathroom visit.

The photos will give you an idea of how small we were compared to the walls and even then the depth perception escaped my lens.

Bosch born at the dawn of the Renaissance in the Netherlands  came from a family of painters, painted in the 1500's and was one of the last artists to use medieval symbolism in his work.

 Arcimboldo an Italian trained in tapestry and stained glass, did cartoons and went to do portraits for the Habsburg Court of Ferdinand in the late 1500's. His claim to fame are people drawn using fruits and vegetables as their features.

Brueghel was born in Antwerp, Belgium but grew up in the Netherlands studying for some time in Rome. He is known for his attention to detail.

 Evening Review...

The music truly enriched the 3D multi media presentations and I wanted to provide a video clip to give a sampling of my most favorite  stop in Provence but the clip was too big. One became part of the exhibition. It was mesmerizing.

I faded before the end of the evening presentation as each artist's presentation was about 40 minutes in length. I treated myself to a solo walk without the crowds ambling back to the hotel by the light of the moon while the past hours of classical music replayed with the masterpieces in my head. It was definitely a once in a lifetime day right there in the heart of the Arpilles Mountains bordered by vineyards, olive trees in Provence's Les Baux...