Kinetic Installation Fanions et carillons by Pinaffo & Pluvinage at Fontevraud Abbey

The artistic duo Marion Pinaffo and Raphaël Pluvinage have created Fanions et carillons, a kinetic installation for the Fontevraud Abbey in France. The work pays homage to the abbey's historic medieval clock, following its time and chimes. On the hour and half-hour, the wooden structure comes to life with rotary or pendulum movements, animating 14 pastel-colored silk banners. The artists describe it as a 'symphony of fabrics' that creates a choreography lasting a few minutes. Commissioned last winter, the 7-meter-tall piece was originally installed in the Saint Benoît Chapel. The abbey, a UNESCO World Heritage site and cultural center in the Loire Valley, was founded in 1101 by Robert of Arbrissel and housed the first mixed-gender religious order led by a woman, Abbess Pétronille de Chemillé. After the French Revolution, it became a prison until 1963 when the French Ministry of Culture transformed it into a vibrant museum. Fanions et carillons is currently on view until December at Le 9-9bis – Le Métaphone in Oignies.