Magic Carpets 2014 is an interactive lighting installation that was rolled out on the floor of the former Sacred Heart of Casablanca Church in Morocco. Created by French artist Miguel Chevalier in collaboration with French Institut and Voxels Productions, the light display draws inspiration from the the world of biology, microorganisms, and cellular automata. Similar to a cell’s ability of multiplying in abundance, dividing and later merging at different paces, pieces come together, fall apart and transform in shape at rapid speeds. The displayed organic universe mingles with a digital construction of overlapping pixels.
An unstable, black-and-white tableaux gradually transforms into a network of vivid, color-saturated spirals that whirl about and execute choreographic movements to the music of composer Michel Redolfi.
Magic Carpets revisit the tradition of the Islamic art, in particular the mosaic and the carpets. When the viewer moves, the trajectory of the curves is disrupted under their feet. The installation takes you on an imaginary journey into the magic universe of the “Arabian Nights” and the flying carpets.
