The church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris shines in an immersive light show

PARIS -- As dusk falls complete nan City of Light, a caller spectacle is illuminating Saint-Sulpice church, a monument whose interiors are moreover larger than Notre Dame's — and arguably conscionable arsenic breathtaking.

The cavernous walls of nan neoclassical gem connected Paris' Left Bank are coming live pinch 360-degree video projections, sparkling cutting-edge exertion and actors, each telling nan communicative of nan religion and its spot successful French history.

Blending hundreds of years of intrigue, gyration and family drama, nan show reimagines nan Saint-Germain territory during nan Fronde, nan 17th-century civilian war, and nan lead-up to nan French Revolution.

“Paris Cœur de Lumières” (Paris Chancel of Lights), which runs until Nov. 23, transforms nan church’s sprawling 6,000-square-meter (65,000-square-foot) interior into a integer shape done precocious video mapping.

“From a technological standpoint, it’s a laser scan of nan full building that allows america to reconstruct nan abstraction successful 3 dimensions,” head Damien Fontaine explained.

“We past ‘unfold’ it for illustration origami ... and put it backmost into 3D to beryllium projected arsenic a azygous unified image. We person complete 45 projectors, each covering a portion of nan vaults, a conception of a pillar, aliases a portion of nan nave. It’s ... a mosaic of images to shape 1 ample picture.”

Projections toggle shape chromatic carvings into animated storytellers, while immersive soundscapes, paired pinch an original score, wrap nan assemblage successful a sensory experience.

The actors brought history to life. Over 350 performers and volunteers, clad successful much than 500 humanities costumes, move among nan assemblage portraying section families and rivalries, threading individual narratives into nan broader history.

Many of those who volunteered themselves marveled astatine learning astir small known aspects of French history.

Anne Dubosc, a 65-year-old amateur actress, played Anne of Austria, mother of Sun King Louis XIV.

“She was a singular woman, very progressive successful authorities and religion,” Dubosc said. “I hadn’t realized really important she was. If Louis XIV became nan man he was, it was partially acknowledgment to this woman, this mother who was for illustration a tigress, doing everything to protect her boy and school him to beryllium a awesome statesman.”

Performing successful Saint-Sulpice, she added, was extraordinary: “It’s exceptional. You suffer way of what’s happening, of wherever fabrication ends and history begins.”

Her historical costume shaped her capacity — literally.

“I person a corset that squeezes maine truthful tightly,” she said. “You recognize there’s a very 18th-century measurement of holding yourself, of carrying your shoulders and neck, which gives a earthy majesty. The costume really impacts really you transportation your body, and that posture influences your mind, giving characteristic to this female of state.”

The accumulation underscored a increasing inclination successful Paris of utilizing ray exertion to show disconnected nan city's storied religion interiors. A akin illuminations show took spot astatine Saint-Eustache religion until September, featuring video projections, lighting effects and spatialized physics soundtrack.

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Associated Press writer Marine Lesprit contributed to this report.