Jean-Michel Othoniel’s Kiosque des noctambules

Samantha Sampley

A quick consultation with my notecards, while presenting Jean-Michel Othoniel’s Kiosque des Noctambules (Pavilion for Night-Walkers), 2000. Place Colette, Metro Louvre-Palais Royale. March 24, 2018 (Photo: Mary B. Shepard)

When I finally walked up to my artwork after waiting so long I was simply stunned. Othoniel’s Kiosque des noctambules is extraordinary. Pictures simply cannot express what it felt like to see this work in person and to be able to interact with it. Othoniel’s Kiosque des noctambules was made in the year 2000 using stunning glass beads and aluminum. This Metro Entrance is a delicate beauty and a gift all wrapped up together. The creation of the Metro Entrance was made in honor of the Parisian subway system’s 100th anniversary. Its bright colors and bead shapes showcase a sense of wonder and creativity. The Metro Entrance is Othoniel’s present to Paris, and a beautiful one at that.

Looking up into the double domes of Jean-Michel Othoniel's Kiosque des Noctambules (Photo: Samantha Sampley)

It was a perfect day to see the Metro Entrance; the sun shone beautifully against the vibrantly colored glass. In my opinion, the Metro Entrances in Paris are some of the most beautiful artworks that the city offers. I feel this way simply due to one fact that a person can interact with the art easily; one can touch and feel the metal or glass that constructs the artwork. It is quite pleasant to be able to walk up to the glass beads and be allowed to feel their bumpy texture. This is a special case, for Othoniel does like to keep his fantastic beads tantalizing out of reach from his viewer. He creates the desire to touch the glass, but often makes it impossible to do so.

The Glass Bead Domes of Jean-Michel Othoniel's Kiosque des Noctambules (Pavilion for Night-Walkers), 2000. Place Colette, Metro Louvre-Palais Royale. (Photo: Samantha Sampley)

However, the blown glass is not smooth as one would assume. No, it has fabulous bumps and ridges that make the glass appear even more remarkable. It resembles a slightly deflated balloon. It's not smooth anymore; it has indents and seems soft and moldable. The delicate glass is thick and understandably so, as if it was thin and delicate as most blown glass artworks are it would have been crushed immediately by the harsh city around it. Fragility is something that Othoniel loves about his work which is why he chose to work with glass. Glass can be easily broken. A simple rock could shatter a glass bead if they were not so thick.  I am used to seeing delicate thinly spun glass artworks, so Othoniel’s thick glass beads are a sight to behold. The thick glass is not how I imagined the artwork from descriptions or even pictures; the beads were so much more. They were made from glass, yet thick enough to withstand Paris. They are not smooth as one would think, but they still hold the bead shape. This sense of fragility and the medium that he chooses to use is mainly influenced by Othoniel’s past. He grew up around death and the dark time of AIDS. This influences his choice of a material like glass to work with. Othoniel used this work as an interpterion of the human body—delicate and fragile like glass.

Luminous Glass: Jean-Michel Othoniel, Kiosque des Noctambules (Pavilion for Night-Walkers), 2000. Place Colette, Metro Louvre-Palais Royale. (Photo: Samantha Sampley)

Othoniel’s Kiosque des noctambules, is extraordinary representation of night and day. Richard Nahem describes Othoniel’s Metro entrance perfectly in his blog: “I love the way the beads are threaded, with the ruby red, lavender, yellow, royal and aqua blue ones alternating with the brushed aluminum and clear glass ones.” The colored beads are stunning with the aluminum beads and frame. Othoniel loves playing with light and natural elements which makes his art all the more beautiful. Bringing in natural beauty and being placed outside in natural light not only lets the sun reflect off of the glass beds in a beautiful and stunning way but also confronts the fragile medium of real life. The light of the sun creates his work. I believe that it shows the viewer exactly what Othoniel designed it to be: a celebration.

Jean-Michel Othoniel, Kiosque des Noctambules (Pavilion for Night-Walkers), 2000. Place Colette, Metro Louvre-Palais Royale. (Photo: Samantha Sampley)

Sources Consulted

Angot, Christine. Othoniel. Paris, 2006

Bailer, Juli Cho. “Desire: Jean-Michel Othoniel.” Mining Glass (Tacoma, 2007): 22-25, and 33

Belcove, Julie L. “Jean-Michel Othoniel’s Glass Sculptures,” Architectural Digest (September 30, 2012): http://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/artist-jean-michel-othoniel-glass-sculpture-brooklynmuseaum-exhibtion-article

Danto, Ginger. “Splendor and Absence: Jean-Michel Othoniel.” Sculpture 23 (2004): 20-21

French Embassy, Cultural Services. “Jean-Michel OTHONIEL Interview,” YouTube, November 7, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2T4l33XOzs

Lane, Mallery. “Paris Currents: Sculpture; A Christmas Ornament that’s really a Birthday Present for the Metro.” The International Herald Tribune, November 30, 2000. https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/30/garden/paris-currents-sculpture-christmas-ornament-that-s-really-birthday-present-for.html?scp=4&sq=Jean-Michel%20Othoniel&st=cse

Nahem, Richard. “Metro Station of the Month: Palais Royal.” In Eye Prefer Paris. March 11, 2008. http://www.ipreferparis.net/2008/03/metro-station-o.html 

Roux, Laetitia. “Jean-Michel Othoniel: Emmanuel Perotin (Gallery), Foundation Cartier,” Flash Art 37 (2004): 113

Triff, Alfredo. “Through a Glass, Extravagantly: Jean-Michel Othoniel creates a fragile and fantastic fantasy world.” New Miami Times. June 17, 2004. http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2004-06-17/culture/througha-glass-extravagantly/