The very majestic but austere Dôme des Invalides in Paris, which houses in particular the tomb of Napoleon, has been illuminated since Friday by multimedia projections by Moment Factory, which, in collaboration with the Troublemakers studio, has composed the orchestral music for the immersive experience.
Published at 7:30 p.m.
There have been good rumors since the official launch and the tickets are said to be selling like hotcakes. The performances for next week are also sold out – around 500 seats are available per session.
France Info speaks of a “shocking fireworks display of colors and stories” and in turn of a “bluffing creation that brings historical heritage and digital culture into dialogue”; Le Parisien, an “extravagant” spectacle; She writes that “the barely lit ornaments and tombs are both monumental and a little mystical.” In short, the first echoes from the French press are good.
It was the French agency Cultival that contacted the two Montreal studios after seeing the screening of Aura at the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal in 2019.
“They told us, ‘We have to have something like this in Paris.’ They finally chose the Dôme des Invalides and got the approval of the Army Museum, which is working on the project,” says Marie-Pier Veilleux, spokesperson for Moment Factory Paris, a few hours before the premiere.
The two studios, which have collaborated on around thirty projects since 2010, have therefore teamed up for this Parisian version of Aura.
From Coaticook to Paris
“When we created the show in Montreal, we knew there would be other auras elsewhere, in historic places,” says Ms. Veilleux. A bit like we did with our Lumina course. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MOMENT FACTORY
The immersive aura experience in the Dôme des Invalides
“We started in Coaticook, but today there are around twenty Lumina courses in Quebec and elsewhere in the world,” she continues.
Moment Factory began working on the project three years ago, sending a contingent of 80 employees to create this immersive show using lasers and 3D video mapping – including some of the Paris office’s 25 employees.
I won’t lie to you, as it is a listed building there were also many approval phases.
Marie-Pier Veilleux, spokesperson for Moment Factory
All cables, projectors and speakers were hidden on site. “It was out of the question that this equipment was around Napoleon’s grave,” says Marie-Pier Veilleux. “For example, we had to hide the projectors in boxes that were repainted to mimic the marble of the dome,” she explains, so there were a lot of considerations of this kind on the sidelines of the creative work. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MOMENT FACTORY
The immersive aura experience in the Dôme des Invalides
The result is worthy of the work put into the project, the spokesman continued. “There is a lot of wonder on people’s faces. We feel the emotions and connection that people have with the place they discover in detail. It’s also the first time the Dome has been open to the public in the evening, so it’s very special. »
The contribution of the troublemakers
Marc Bell, whom he met in his studios in Montreal the day after his return from Paris, was also thrilled by his creative experience in the Dôme: around 45 minutes of original music accompanying the projections.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY TOUBLEMAKERS
The Troublemakers team: sound engineer Jean-Michel Caron, co-founder and composer Marc Bell, co-founder Jean-Sébastien Giard and composer Frédéric Bégin
The co-founder of Troublemakers – along with Jean-Sébastien Giard – composed the orchestral music from the first scenario developed by Moment and a series of still images together with Frédéric Bégin. Once the score was written, the music was performed and recorded by an ensemble of 36 musicians and a choir of 16 voices. Moment Factory’s animation work took place in a second phase.
“The place is still cold, so the music warms up the atmosphere,” says Marc Bell, who was part of the first incarnation of funk group The Brooks.
One of the most important challenges for him: sound reverberation. “Each chord lasts 10 seconds!” So we had to work with that limitation. Think about slower and larger orchestration, otherwise it wouldn’t have worked. We also chose more dramatic music with a lot of depth, which Europeans appreciate and even demand. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MOMENT FACTORY
The immersive aura experience in the Dôme des Invalides
Despite this challenge [de la réverbération du son]The result is astonishing, says Marc Bell.
The music sounds huge. It’s coherent, it’s big, it’s subtle and the sound travels well despite the 90 meter height of the dome.
Marc Bell, co-founder of Troublemakers
The approximately 50-minute multimedia tour is divided into three parts: “The construction of the dome” during the reign of Louis XIV by the architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart; “collective memory,” which allows us to understand how the building has stood the test of time; and “the elevation of the dome”, which allows us to fully enjoy the “magic” of this emblematic place in Paris.
There is no actual narrative, but a few sentences appear on the walls to help place the visitor.
“We start the route in the center of the dome, where Napoleon’s tomb is located,” explains Marc Bell, “then we move to the four chapels, which represent more introspective moments, and then we return to the center until we finally go through the different chapels.” Tables. There are many people who have come to me to tell me how much the music has touched them. People who left very moved, who had goosebumps. »