We all dream of reaching the stars one day, the forget-me-nots of angels, however unlikely it might be and to reign over heavens, high above the mortality that surrounds us. Artist Baptiste Debombourg has made this possible with nothing but café chairs, well, 1200 of them, to be precise. By bringing to life an elaborate roller coaster, Debombourg is ready to take us on a journey to the stars in a public square in Nantes, France. Titled ‘Stellar’, the inspiration for this installation stems from addressing the great presence of outdoor cafés and restaurants within the city center as well as an artwork Robert Delaunay produced for the Paris World’s Fair in 1937.
His ginormous works, involving various textures, do not fail to create an impact on the viewer, however insignificant it might be. Debombourg gifts the onlooker with an afterthought, allowing them to get lost in the beauty of his creation. Human behavior and actions–especially the ones that lead to failure, revealing the fragile and endearing nature of individuals–fascinate Debombourg and inspire his works. Using different media, materials, and mountings such as wood, glass, staples, or drawings he intends on looking for the potential space between reality and the perception of reality that we aspire to achieve.
‘Stellar’ appears to depict Debombourg’s interpretation of space and also showcases a subtle portrayal of human relationships through the shape of the gravity-defying structure–two ellipses that rise then meet. Its location adds an interesting dimension to the installation–what better place to bring out the delicacies of human relationships than the public square, a place for interacting and socialising.
Baptiste Debombourg wants his art to be the link between ‘the spheres that cannot meet’ and uses the materials that we carelessly discard everyday to create his artworks, thereby putting across another deeper, meaningful message about the environment and our attitude towards it. He reveals,
“I consider my artistic oeuvre as a conveyor of encounters, an opportunity to link sectors and areas that usually ignore each other (the so-called “noble” and “popular” cultures). I believe it is also a way to examine the position and the function of what we define as contemporary art.”
His unique way of using unimportant items of daily use to create marvels with intellectual and physical beauty that leave the mind stunned, truly reveal the artistic abilities of his mind.
