The acclaimed installation by Céleste Boursier-Mougenot arrives in Greece for the first time this autumn.
Water, porcelain bowls and sounds generated by chance come together in one of the most immersive art experiences Athens will see this year. It sounds simple, yet the work has gone viral around the world. Athens is likely to be no exception.
Some works of art are observed, others are experienced. Clinamen, by French composer and visual artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, firmly belongs to the latter category. Following widely discussed presentations at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris and New York’s Park Avenue Armory, the celebrated installation comes to Greece for the first time, presented by Onassis Stegi in a newly opened venue: the renovated Onassis Mandra, from 25 September to 6 December.
At first glance, the work appears almost minimalist. A large pool of water holds dozens of white porcelain bowls that drift slowly across its surface. A subtle current keeps them constantly in motion and, whenever two collide, they produce a clear, crystalline sound. There is no predetermined composition and no musician controlling the outcome. The music emerges through chance, from slight variations in movement and the unpredictable encounters between the objects.
The word clinamen itself comes from the Roman philosopher Lucretius and describes the small, unpredictable swerve in the movement of atoms, which, according to his theory, makes every encounter and ultimately every form of life possible. Boursier-Mougenot translates this philosophical idea into an experience in which art, sound and movement coexist without any fixed control.
Who Is Boursier-Mougenot?
Céleste Boursier-Mougenot is a French visual artist and composer known for immersive installations that sit at the intersection of contemporary art and music. He began his career as a musician and composer for the performing arts before turning to installation art, using natural phenomena, everyday objects and chance processes to create evolving sound environments.
His work has been presented at some of the world’s leading cultural institutions, including the Palais de Tokyo and the Bourse de Commerce in Paris, the Barbican Centre in London and the Venice Biennale, where he represented France in 2015. Through his work, he explores the relationship between sound, space and human experience, creating installations that are never quite the same, continually reshaped by movement and chance.
