We will still have to wait until the end of 2024 to be able to re-enter Paris’ most famous cathedral, Notre-Dame. Meanwhile, the name of the designer who will be responsible for furnishing its interior has been announced. But are we really talking about contemporary design being part of the renovation, in this case interior, of the cathedral? The unseen, listen.
The church, as an institution, is not that it is especially friendly with novelty, and we refer exclusively to what has to do with design or architecture. It is true that there have been notable incursions since built in the fifties the chapel of Notre Dame du Haut in Ronchamp. In 1989 the Japanese Tadao Ando built the Church of Light, which is characterized because it owes its shape to a resounding and abstract prism of concrete, crossed by an oblique wall in which light penetrates through the cross “cut” on the altar wall. Or more recently, at the end of last year, it was the Spanish Santiago Calatrava who surprised by unveiling the new project carried out in an Orthodox church in the Ground Zero of the Twin Towers in New York. Examples of are few, but there are, but until now, the design of contemporary furniture had not been introduced as a fundamental part of the ecclesiastical liturgy.
WHO WILL DESIGN THE NEW ALTAR OF NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS?
It is not easy to find a designer who is a specialist in liturgical furniture. The diocese launched a contest in October 2022. Of the 69 nominations received, in January of this year we knew the names of 5 finalists, almost all French artists, designers or sculptors: Nicolas Alquin, Guillaume Bardet, Pascal Convert, Laurent Grasso and Constance Guisset. The mission: to renew all the liturgical furniture of the cathedral and contribute to the reconstruction and renovation of the interior of the cathedral.
After an extensive and meticulous selection process, the chosen one was the project of Guillaume Bardet, who is represented since one of the most prestigious furniture publishers in the world. Who decided? The final decision rested with the Archbishop of Paris, Monsignor Laurent Ulrich, who has been advised by a committee of 18 experts in heritage, conservation, members of the church and an expert in contemporary art.
The commission consists of the design of five essential elements: the altar, the ambo (lectern or pulpit where the readings are read during Mass), the cathedra (the seat of the bishop) and the associated seats, the tabernacle (the “dwelling” of God, in the church, where everything necessary for the celebration of the Eucharist is kept, such as the consecrated hosts or the Bible) and the baptistery.
The choice of Guillaume Bardet, known for his deep and minimalist approach to his designs could not have been more successful. He has opted for bronze as a material for these five pieces, creating refined but resounding forms. The ambo, with a distinctive capital T shape symbolizing freedom, was the starting point for the rest of the elements. Likewise, the baptistery embodies circularity, allowing visitors to move effortlessly within its space. Bardet’s intention was to adopt organic forms that evoked a deep sense of permanence and spiritual devotion. “I wanted natural shapes that conveyed the idea of the immutable,” explains the designer. His exceptional designs do just that: they effortlessly harmonize tradition and innovation, perpetuating a spiritual aura that transcends the constraints of time.
Art historian Caroline Morizot, a member of the artistic committee, states that one of the main selection criteria was “the understanding of the heritage issues involved”. The new liturgical furniture has to fit into a medieval cathedral that has housed numerous works of art over the centuries,” he explains. “We needed a timeless design. The liturgical furniture of Notre-Dame has to be sober to be in harmony with the whole, so it was necessary to avoid an artistic gesture too overwhelming, but it also had to have a strong presence, because the furniture is at the heart of the liturgical life of the cathedral, “he adds.
WHO IS GUILLAUME BARDET, THE DESIGNER CHOSEN TO FURNISH NOTRE-DAME?
In addition to being a designer, Guillaume Bardet is a sculptor and studied architecture, and perhaps these data help to understand why he has been “the chosen one”. Born in Rouen in 1971, where he lived until moving to Paris at age 15, although he currently lives with his family in the Drôme region. Passionate about drawing, he began to study architecture, but saw that it was not his thing and in 1993 he enrolled at the École Supérieure des Arts décoratifs. It was here that he met the architect and industrial designer Jean-Marie Massaud (there are his designs in Vondom, Poliform, B&b Italia or Poltrona Frau), with whom he began to collaborate very soon after finishing his studies, establishing himself on his own. The scholarship of the Academy of Rome, which he won in 2002, allowed him to develop his first major project, Mobilier immobile, nine pieces of unusual marble that he exhibited at the Yves Gastou gallery on his return from Villa Medici.
While still designing furniture, Guillaume Bardet began working on interior design projects and street furniture. In 2011, he received the prestigious Fondation Bettencourt Prize forThe Use of Days), a project in which he drew an intimate object every day for a year, and which later materialized in 365 real objects, helped by several pottery workshops, and which has been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout Europe. In 2013, he became a regular contributor to Hermès, designing a collection of objects for its Home Fragrance line, and becoming Educational Director of its Foundation in 2015.
