Stéphane Place / Photo credit: Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP 12:24 p.m., February 24, 2024

In Bordeaux, the Bassins des Lumières, a video mapping museum, is very successful, with its immersive exhibitions on Vermeer, Vang Gogh and even Dali.

The opportunity to discover or rediscover works of art in a new way.

A new kind of museum that has had incredible success: video mapping spaces.

In Bordeaux, the Bassins des Lumières far exceeds all expected attendance levels.

This former submarine base transformed into a museum, lined with video works projected on the walls for an immersive atmosphere.

Opened less than four years ago, and in the midst of the Covid crisis, the place attracts not only a French but also a foreign clientele.

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“Every time there is a new exhibition, we go to see it,” assures a visitor.

“This notion of reflection that there can be with water, it’s great, it’s immersive. We really have the impression of being in the works,” adds another.

With more than 800,000 visitors last year, the Bassins des Lumières, installed in the former Bordeaux submarine base built by the Nazis, offer immersive digital exhibitions.

Right now, from Vermeer to Van Gogh, the Dutch masters, a few weeks ago, on Tintin or Dali...

“Reconnecting people to art in a slightly different way”

It is a success every time, with more than 20% foreign tourists.

"The Spaniards, the Germans, the Dutch are extremely present. The revaluation of the heritage of a completely unusual place, an underwater base, is obviously attractive, as is the fact of being able to play with the reflections in the water and sublimate the images", explains Humbert Vuatrin, who directs this digital art center which has become essential.

“There are approximately 25% of the population who go to so-called traditional museums. This is not necessarily accessible to everyone and we make it possible, thanks to these large-scale digital exhibitions, to reconnect or connect people to art in a slightly different way."

Next September, the Bassins des Lumières will host an immersive digital exhibition dedicated to the Little Prince.