Les Deux Plateaux, Installation artwork and fountain in Palais Royal courtyard, Paris, France.
Les Deux Plateaux is an artwork comprising 260 black and white striped marble columns arranged in a grid across different ground levels in the Palais Royal courtyard. The columns vary in height and are partly surrounded by underground water basins visible through metal gratings.
The artwork was designed and installed in 1986 by French artist Daniel Buren with architect Patrick Bouchain to replace a former parking area in the courtyard. The project transformed the space into a venue for contemporary artistic expression.
The columns vary in height, inviting visitors to move through the space in different ways while engaging with the classical architecture surrounding the courtyard. This arrangement creates a conversation between contemporary art and the traditional French aesthetic of the palace.
The site is freely accessible during daylight hours, allowing visitors to walk freely among the columns and explore the different levels. Wearing sturdy shoes is advisable since the ground is uneven and varying in elevation throughout the courtyard.
Visitors often toss coins through metal gratings into the hidden water basins, a gesture reminiscent of traditional fountain rituals despite this being contemporary art. This everyday act reveals how people unconsciously ascribe ritual meaning to modern artworks.
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