Dreyfus designed the Grand Palais lightwork to emulate a sunset over the French Capital. Accompanied by Sanchez's electronic and sampled-sound score, an array of Syncrolite projectors with 5kW xenon lamps illuminated the museum's structure in shades of amber, lavander, pink, blue and red. Through the use of coloured light and the reflections from 18 mirrors, Dreyfus wanted to created a feeling of "serenity". His idea was to have visitors suspend their thoughts, aprreciate the space and feel a sens of calm.
"There was a wave of movement of light from the centre to the outside of the Grand Palais", he says, "then all became slowly red, beams reflecting in the mirrors, so when people were walking they had monochrome paintings around them, and then the red turned to white, and the beams hitting the mirrors went back to the sky through the glass roof."
Although architect Alain Perrot's work on the Grand Palais' foundations and metal structure is complete, the renovation of the façade will take another two years. The 13 500 scquare-metre hall will be used as a multipurpoe venue.
