To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Nuit Blanche arts festival, "Bing Bang," a work by artist Étienne Krähenbühl will be unveiled outside of Samaritaine on Saturday, October 1.

"Bing Bang" is a kinetic sound sphere composed of 850 metal parts, each suspended from a wire to resemble a large mobile. The sculpture moves in a compelling choreography of pulsations and breaths. The pieces sway back and forth, colliding, repelling and attracting each other to create a living melody.

Étienne Krähenbühl's wind chime tells a parallel and poetic story of our world by echoing the Big Bang, the origin of the universe, and indeed, its very first collision.

Representing this concentration of matter and energy in the making, the sphere is as much an atom as it is a planet. It crystallizes the moment when the infinitesimal meets the infinite, reflecting the original breath of creation itself.

Étienne Krähenbühl is a Swiss sculptor with a passion for materials and shape-memory alloys, his preferred medium, who places time and physics at the center of his work.

This sound sculpture is one of 13 emblematic artistic projects in Paris proposed by Kitty Hartl, artistic director of Nuit Blanche 2022, to fit the theme of Hieronymus Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights and the crossroads between art and sports.

Samaritaine: Experience the thrill of Paris

Founded by Ernest and Marie-Louise Cognacq-Jaÿ in 1870, the little boutique on Rue du Pont-Neuf has become much more than a department store. It's now the Parisian destination in the heart of the capital. In 2021, it reopened to the public after exceptional efforts to revive the iconic Art Nouveau building, and a contemporary Rue de Rivoli structure was unveiled.

LVMH entrusted the design and operation of Samaritaine to DFS, the world leader in the sale of luxury goods to travelers. It now offers a selection of more than 600 iconic and avant-garde brands from the worlds of fashion, watches and jewelry over an area of 20,000m², as well as boasting the largest beauty section in Europe. Because Paris is unique, Samaritaine strives to showcase the French way of life, with its unprecedented and exclusive collection of places to eat and drink. Whatever you fancy, whether it's early morning or late at night, there's a whole host of opportunities to treat yourself to a gourmet break at Samaritaine.

Samaritaine Paris Pont-Neuf by DFS

9, Rue de la Monnaie, 75001 Paris, France
Saturday, October 1, 2022
7PM to midnight (last activation of the artwork at 11:30PM)