Magic Roundabout

Magic Roundabout

Le manège carré sénart, François Delarozière

 at CENTQUATRE, Paris

A few years ago I followed the performance of the Sultan’s Elephant through the streets of London to Trafalgar Square. It was one of the most magical things I’ve ever seen and could tell that the thousands of others stood with me felt the same way.  

When I heard that François Delarozière, the artist behind the elephant had created a work for the CENTQUATRE gallery, I got my coat and headed out.

The CENTQUATRE is a huge space with exhibition galleries, independent shops and artist’s studios. I was introduced to it through ‘Nuit Blanche’ an annual night of art events across Paris. That night was an evening of fantastic happenings, yet my visits since have been a letdown with nothing to do there but have a coffee and wander round the bookshop. It didn’t make sense that a place with such potential felt so empty.

I kept coming across articles about the CENTQUATRE in the newspaper, unfortunately only bad news – funding cuts, directors leaving etc. Just as I’d given up hope I heard that a programme of events was planned for the Christmas period with exhibitions, performance and music, the centerpiece being a magical merry-go-round by Delarozièas.

In fact, with a bit of research I realised that the roundabout is not just the work of Delaroziè but that of his company. I found this disappointing as in my head Delaroziè is a Gipetto-like figure crouched over his workbench pain-stakingly producing each beautiful creature that you see on the carousel. Instead, the work was created by his business ‘La Machine’, where a team of experts collaborate with global corporations to produce bespoke art and theatre.

I guess this is as much an engineering project as art, so it does need to be commercial. At least the team that works with Delaroziè get the credit (and money) they deserve for their involvement. So many famous artists e.g. Warhol, Hirst, Michelangelo had a production-line behind them who worked, often for free, only to get glossed over by the historians.

The merry-go-round or ‘manège’ as it’s known in French, is beautiful. Sadly I was too old to go for a ride without being labelled as a loon by the many parents waiting with fidgety children in the queue.

Strangely, none of the families seemed to notice how odd the creatures were on the ride. Inspired by Da Vinci, Verne and the surrealists, most of them were capable of giving their little ones nightmares for years to come. Yet, the macabre feel of the carousel fits right in here, as the impressive building of the CENTQUATRE used to be Paris’ main funeral parlour. Although a thoroughfare for the dead, with 27,000 hearses leaving the building every year, it was also bursting with life. The 1,400 who worked here were a strong community who socialised together outside work with sports teams and an orchestra.

Today the CENTQUATRE is a cold empty space, a perfect blank canvas for the art community. The building is eerie when you first arrive but is given warmth by those you constantly come across making use of the area to rehearse for plays, hone their sporting skills, make music and of course create artworks. It’s like walking around a park that someone has kindly put a roof on. La Machine’s carousel acts like a mirror to the world of the CENTQUATRE, reflecting the mixture of macabre and community that you experience around you.

"The Imaginary Historian"