A falling rivet closed the Grand Palais in Paris for nearly a decade. Now it has reopened in glorious blaze of colour. Robert Such reports from the French capital.

For two weeks in september, Thierry Dreyfus and Frédéric Sanchez's colourful light and sound installation filled the interior of the newly restored Musée du grand Palais in Paris, closed since 1993 when a rivet was found to have fallen from its steel-and-glass roof. The extended period of closure was largely the result of government departments arguing over the budget, an estimated GBP 69 million, wich put back the start of restoration work until 2001.

Thierry Dreyfus, winner of an international competition, designed the installation for the grand opening of the historic building. The 40 something Paris-based artist has worked in lighting since the early eighties, illuminating French opera houses and consulting on fashion shows held by designers such as Helmut Lang and Yves Saint Laurent.