"Sous le Ciel" by Leandro Erlich will run until February 18th, 2018 at Paris’ Le Bon Marché. Image © designboom

Internationally renowned for his deep and poetic site-specific works, argentine artist Leandro Erlich has unveiled the ‘Sous le Ciel’, or ‘under the sky’ installation at Paris’ Le Bon Marché. Following pieces by Ai Weiwei in 2016, and Edoardo Tresoldi and Chiharu Shiota in 2017, this is the fourth time the store has invited a contemporary artist to intervene the interiors of its 19th century building. Running until February 18th, the piece challenges perceptions of time and space while inviting visitors to alter the way they perceive reality.
 The store’s famed escalator — designed by Andrée Putman in 1990 — has been transformed.
Image © designboom

Called ‘Sous le Ciel’ after an Edith Piaf song, Leandro Erlich’s installation celebrates the Parisian sky with its unique luminosity and soft colors that change constantly over the course of each day and season. The work spans several chapters in different parts of the department store. Light, fluffy cloud-like shapes float in the store windows, while the central Glass Roof Reveals a Blue Sky Punctuated by cloud formations.
 A tangled pretzel-like form disorients visitors and the sense of the escalator. Image © designboom

The store’s famed escalator — designed by Andrée Putman in 1990 — has been transformed, taking customers to a space where dreams and reality merge, and where the power of imagination alters appearances. Continuing to playfully trouble those who rather take the elevators, the artist has set mirrors that create an infinite optical illusion inside of them. Overall, the installation plays with illusion, space, history and architecture to create a fiction that leaves considerable room for interpretation.
 The central glass roof reveals a blue sky punctuated by cloud formations. Image © designboom
 Inside, the light inside changes depending on the hour and season. Image © designboom
 A disorienting view from the floor. Image © designboom

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