An incredible music and light show in the heart of the Alpilles mountains
The carrières de Lumières is a modern day digital art centre, in an old stone quarry, located in Les Baux de Provence. It’s an absolute must see on your Provence walking holiday and definately worth the stop off when passing through Les Baux on your Provence cycling stay.
The quarry was once used to extract limestone which was then used to build the castle in the village of Les Baux but it was deemed unprofitable in 1935 with the imergence of more modern building material and was shut down. Since 1976, the quarry has been exploited by various artists using the space to project their art or their films.
A place to go to on your Provence trip.
So now that we’ve finished with the history lesson on the quarry itself, we shall endevour to describe to you this unique experience where darkness, colour, light & music come together to create something truly spectacular, in a tiny village, in the heart of the Alpilles, in rural Provence.
A highlight to any Provence walking tour or Provence cycling holiday
We think that the best way to describe the Carrières de Lumières is to think of Mary Poppins, you know the part where they all jump into Bert’s picture ? Well, entering the quarry is just like that – you feel like you are jumping into the paintings, you become totally immersed in the artwork. Ok, so there is no merry-go-round and no dancing penguins, but the magic is definately there !
Each year a different artist is represented and this year is dedicated to the fabulous work of dutch artist, Vincent van Gogh. His paintings are projected all around you, from floor to ceiling some 15 metres high and on to the huge stone pillars, for a real 3D experience. Today’s technology allows for a truly spectacular show and the images are accompanied by various songs from artists such as Miles Davis, Nina Simone and Vivaldi.
Be a part of the magic on your Provence walking or cycling holiday.
The quarry has known a huge success since 2012 with the show that year on Gaugin and van Gogh attracting around 250 000 visitors. Many great artists have had their work shown ; Picasso, Renoir, Monet and in 2016 the Chagall show attracted over 560 000 visitors. Yet again this year the show is highly successful as the quarry is, after all, in van Gogh Provence. The man himself lived here for the last years of his life, in Arles in 1889 and St Rémy de Provence in 1889 and 1890.
