Pure Beauty

Le Bon Marché makes a splash with immersive iceberg installation

By Austyn King | Published: 17-Jan-2022

Created by Mehmet Ali Uysal, the Su installation is designed to raise awareness of climate change for the luxury Parisian department store's shoppers

Le Bon Marché, the luxury department store, has unveiled an immersive art installation by artist Mehmet Ali Uysal at its store in Paris, France, designed to raise awareness of climate change and the power of water.

Entitled Su, meaning 'water' in Turkish, the eye-catching installation comprises two enormous icebergs, which span the length of the store's escalator and extend from the glass roof to above the heads of shoppers, representing water levels.

The installation also utilises a creative play of light to spread the illusion of turquoise water to Le Bon Marché's display windows, designed to symbolise the melting ice.

On the second level, meanwhile, visitors will discover a large white paper boat, recalling those made by children, which is said to symbolise hope for the future, like a modern-day Noah's Ark to save people from the rising water.

Inside the iceberg, shoppers can attend talks by artist and yachtsman Benjamin Dutreux, who will discuss climate change and people's fascination with water in collaboration with charity Water Family, which works to raise awareness of the importance of conserving water among children.

Ali Uysal's exhibition continues the LVMH-owned retailer's tradition of inviting a renowned artist to create a bespoke installation for the department store, following last year's L’Amazone Erogène by Prune Nourry, which paid tribute to mythology as a metaphor for the artist's personal experience of breast cancer.

The installation will run until 20 February at the store in Paris' Rue de Sèvres, which offers a wide array of brands including an expansive beauty department with personalised services from the likes of Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown and By Terry.

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