Will the fire-ravaged interior of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris be more like Disneyland than France’s most emblematic place of worship when it reopens after a major restoration? So fear the outraged critics of a new interior design for the monument which was presented during a video conference earlier this year. — The Art Newspaper
Father Gilles Drouin is the man behind the new interiors, which he says are meant to respond to the multicultural visitorship that was originally not taken into consideration by the church, which spoke to a largely Christian audience before the fire.
Critics have panned Drouin’s vision, objecting not only to the ecumenical content but also its delivery via seemingly tacky digital projections and other forms of tech-heavy interventions meant to engender a network of “emotional spaces.”
“It’s Notre-Dame de Paris turned into Disneyland,” architect Maurice Culot told TAN. “It does not make any sense, we are rebuilding the cathedral and the spire as it was, with ancient materials like stone, wood and lead, and now we’ll have a theme park for foreign tourists inside. Why wasn’t the design entrusted to the same architects to maintain unity between the inside and outside of the building? How could a priest choose, on his own, the interior decoration of a cathedral that belongs to the universal heritage of humanity and is being rebuilt with donations coming from all over the world?”
8 Comments
I personally think the pantheon interior looks a little dated, enough of the stone already…let’s get some of those new curved lcd screens in there!
This is what is drawing "sharp" criticism for the catholic church? Not literally the endless list of other travesties and crimes it has, and continues to, benefit from?
Also "drawing sharp criticism online":
light bulb types
fashion choices
lawn care
baby names
hair color
word pronunciations
Grandma's pancake recipe
Wouldn't it be quicker to list what doesn't draw sharp criticism online?
Lists can also draw sharp criticism.
I hereby criticize that critique. Sharply!
Notre Dame Paris has twin aisles down each side of the main chamber which makes it darker inside than the average cathedral. Don't know the fix - maybe there isn't one. I think people go there partly to escape the TV and computer screens for a portion of their day - they have become as dismal as a Power Point presentation.
When will one of you architecture "experts" realize that the top photo in this post (the altar) is from Montreal's Notre Dame, not Paris?
No one gives a shit.
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