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This former submarine base, located in the Bassins á Flots district, in the city of Bordeaux, France, has been chosen to function as an art center. A space that has been prepared for multimedia exhibitions related to both historical and contemporary art.
We are talking about art in combination with digital technology or immersive art. This type of art has been so successful in other cities around the world that more and more spaces are being used for this purpose.
In immersive art the walls, floor and furniture become canvases, where the works are built, projected, giving them life through sound and movement; as well as the spectators, who also become part of the works through feeling. It is a good way to share with the family, and very didactic.
The Ponds of Lights or Les Bassins de Lumiêres break with conventional schemes, and the artists play with lights, music and, above all, take advantage of the projection at the level of the water ponds. In this way a whole surreal atmosphere is created, allowing visitors, walking along the pier and walkways, to integrate into it.
The precinct has created other areas such as The Cube or Le Cube, which is a space of 220 m² by 8m high, dedicated to exhibitions of contemporary artists; and where music and different digital arts are included. Likewise, we find another area of 155 m², called Cisterne, designed to explain and delve into the relationship between the original works, how they were made and the museums where they come from.
We also find Les Grands Nénuphars, for the projection on the water of the different images; as well as Le Musée, dedicated to education about the history of this former World War II base. Of course, one cannot miss a space that provides the elements needed for this immersive art. Exhibits are presented daily and on an ongoing basis.
Let’s talk a little about the history of this submarine base in the city of Bordeaux:
In 1941, in the middle of World War II, the Germans built in Bordeaux, at the level of the Garonne River, a bunker of 42,000 m² based on concrete and steel; with the purpose of serving as a submarine base for the shelter of the same. The work was started in September of the same year and finished a little before 1943, becoming the base for 15 U-Boot submarines.
It is said that about 6500 workers participated in this construction; among Italians, Germans, French and Spaniards, some contracted and others possibly forced. Subsequently and thanks to the bombings, a good amount of this footage was lost, and at the end of the war it was abandoned. This space is now used for the immersive exhibitions mentioned above.
This place has 4 ponds, plus an annex and main building, which was supposedly used for the shelter of some minelayers and supply ships. Each silo is separated from the other by a 1 m thick wall; also, every 25 m there is an opening in the wall to connect the different berths. Otherwise, there are rooms, corridors and abandoned warehouses.
By the 1960s this space was beginning to attract the attention of the film industry. However, between 1993 and 1997 it became a place dedicated to recreational boats and yachts. The current space began renovation in 2018, under the private Culturespaces organization, which is in charge of managing museums, monuments and art centers.
It is known for similar spaces such as Le Atelier des Lumiéres in Paris and at the Provence level Les Carriéres des Lumiéres, in the far southeast of the French country. Of the original 42,000 m², only 12,000 of the original 42,000 m² are currently used for all these exhibitions, stage shows and some evening events, for Les Bassins de Lumiêres.
Today, the underwater base has been converted into an exhibition hall:
In this monumental and robust structure, after 80 years, those 15 submarines have been replaced by immersive digital art exhibitions, which seems to be the largest in the world so far, and which is being renewed annually at Les Bassins de Lumières; causing many sensations in the public and increasingly liked.
The projections are made on 15 m high canvases at the level of the walls and also on the ponds, which have a width of 22 m, a length of 110 m and a depth of 12 m; and where the different cycles of the exhibitions are being developed. These projections are perfectly adapted to the large existing space and are shared by visitors, as they walk along the walkways.
In 2019 was the inauguration of this first event, with a long duration for the great masters of art, and another of shorter duration for the exhibition of modern and contemporary artists.
Then, for the long duration, the well-known Gustav Klimt with Gold and Colors, including the famous Kiss and the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, was chosen. Quite a spectacle, covering 360º on the bunker walls.
Then, for the shorter duration, Paul Klee was exhibited with Painting Music; presenting in a city an opera and a great concert among fish, under the sea. A real spectacle!!!
Exhibition held between May 2021 and January 2022:
Between May 19, 2021 and January 2, 2022 has been realized as a long-term exhibition “Monet, Renoir, Chagall… Voyages en Méditerranée”, which offered a great journey from impressionism, being its protagonist to the modern; a creation of art on the shores of the Mediterranean, with more than 500 works that dazzled the basins with lights and colors, in order to express the sensitivity of the artist.
The works of Monet, Chagall, Renoir, Pissarro, Derain, Signac, Dufy, Vlaminck, among others were projected for 45 minutes each. Everything was created by Renato Gatto, Gianfranco Iannuzzi and Massimiliano Siccardi and under the production of the French company Culturespaces, a pioneer in immersive digital exhibitions; Les Bassins de Lumiêres being their largest project.
In relation to the short duration exhibition, which covers 10 minutes, it was possible to enjoy “Yves Klein with his infinity blue”. Another proposal also with the same 
Mediterranean influence, since this artist is always inspired by the sea, due to his birthplace in Nice.Â
This short exhibition is a journey through the International Klein Blue, or IKB Blue. The direction of this staging was by Cutback Live, a French video and scenography company and, of course, the production by Culturespaces Digital.
