Abbaye aux Dames’ Carrousel – Saintes (FR)

Musical Carrousel –Abbaye aux Dames de Saintes (France) – 2018

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Creation / Métalobil / AG Studio
Design Engineering / Manufacture / Installation / Métalobil

Client / Abbaye aux Dames

Creative consortium / Abbaye aux Dames / AG Studio / Modulo Digital / Blue Yéti / Métalobil

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For Abbaye aux Dames’ “Musicaventure” programme, our consortium creates the concept of a musical carrousel where a Basilisk is living. Children and adults board into this roundabout and become artists!

A giant and digital instrumentarium

Under a hull with metallic facets, the musical carrousel is a merry-go-round. Strange instruments of digital music can be played: keyboards, bows, electroacoustic instrument, wind instruments, percussions, accordions, harps, vocal cords… They are implemented into the Basilisk body.

24 participants take place in the merry-go-round and turn in an enchanting world where a praxinoscope also turns. A master of ceremonies encouraged participants to experiment instruments. After few minutes, the Basilisk interprets the sounds they did. Its internal software mix them and restitutes an unheard melody. This interactive partition is a collective work of art created by the participants at each ride. Every single ride is unique.

Métalobil created the design of this monumental dome in aluminum scattered with mirror stainless steel sheets, and co-created with AG-Studio the design of the Basilisk in rattan.

Production / Abbaye aux Dames, la cité musicale, Saintes

Carrousel and Basilisk creation / AG Studio / Métalobil

Design engineering / manufacture / installation / Métalobil

3D renderings /  AG Studio

Musical experiment conception / instruments creation / Blue Yeti

Visitor experiment conception / multimedia monitoring / Modulo Digital

Praxinoscope creation, design and manufacture / Métalobil / Modulo Digital

Light design / Christophe Renaud

Costumes design and making / Pleat-it