A Drifting Soundscape of Water, Porcelain and Architecture

Beneath the soaring glass dome of Paris’ Bourse de Commerce, architecture gives way to atmosphere. In place of sculpture or framed work, the Rotunda becomes an instrument — transformed by Clinamen, a quietly immersive water and sound installation by French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot.

Dozens of white porcelain bowls drift slowly across the surface, moved by invisible currents. As they gently collide, they create delicate, melodic chimes — a serendipitous score shaped by motion and chance.

Originally exhibited in smaller formats at institutions including the NGV in Melbourne and Centre Pompidou-Metz, this is clinamen’s most ambitious iteration to date. Curated by Emma Lavigne, General Director of the Pinault Collection, the installation is tailored to the Rotunda’s unique spatial and acoustic qualities. The circular concrete ring designed by Tadao Ando forms a contemplative threshold; the soaring dome above invites the sky in, reflecting off the water below. It’s a space that doesn’t just host the work — it shapes it.

“Each version of clinamen is cast into the architecture of its host — like pouring into a mould,” says Boursier-Mougenot. “Here, the immense rotunda allows the piece to fully express its planispheric dimension.”

In a world of carefully composed spaces and programmed experiences, Clinamen offers something altogether different — a moment shaped not by control, but by drift. Within the Rotunda’s concrete embrace, water, sound and architecture are left to perform their quiet choreography, uninterrupted. It’s a work that invites stillness, rewards attention, and reminds us that design doesn’t always need to speak loudly to be heard.