Face au vide

To get to this final stage, on scaffolding rising five metres above the ground, Paf atelier and Yoann Bourgeois have devised an ascent route whereby visitors climb to the top of the metal structure via a number of staircases. As they make their way through the installation, a voice-over poses questions, encouraging existential reflection. Neon lights partially illuminate the dark, smoke-filled space. The atmosphere created disrupts the visitor’s vision, so that they become physically and emotionally involved in this vertiginous, solitary ascent. Punctuated by right-angled bends, the disjointed path is anything but meandering. There are many twists and turns, but only one way forward. To get back down, there’s just one option: to throw yourself into the void.

A camera set up at the top captures the visitor’s facial expression at that critical moment, just before the fall.

This prefabricated unit is as easy to assemble as it is to take apart. It adapts to the ephemeral format of the installation, as well as to the studio’s philosophy of re-using materials in its projects. The metal scaffolding creates a cold, creaky atmosphere that adds to the experience. The visual effect produced by the tangle of a hundred or so cylindrical tubes can be seen as a formal translation of the labyrinth through which the visitor moves.