Art Installations in Hotel Rooms

Why be content with merely gazing at an artwork for fifteen minutes or so, when you could spend the whole night with it? That's the philosophy behind the interior design at Marseille's Hotel Au Vieux Panier. Each room is a veritable artwork, which is redeveloped every year by a new artist or designer.

Last year, graffiti expert Tilt caused a stir with his 'Panic Room' (pictured below). Drawing a line down the middle of the room, he left one half stark white and covered the other half in graffiti bright enough to blind the sun.

This year, French collective, Architectural Visual Exciters, is causing all the, well, excitement. Titled SKÖ, their work is an installation that hangs from the bedroom ceiling, like an upside-down city skyline (made up of lots of buildings). Comprised of wooden blocks, the contrasting lengths of which are emphasised through a video-controlled mapping system, the installation toys with our visual perceptions, appearing both heavy and light, at the same time.

"The troglodytic morphology of the room imposes a total confidence in the artist, since the tonne of wood hanging directly above you initially launches you into a state of claustrophobia," the Architectural Visual Exciters explain. "But the magic starts to sink in with the olfactive aspect and sense of lightness of those wooden masses as they are suspended in a way that allows light to pierce through."

A touch pad adds an interactive aspect. From the comfort of their hotel bed, guests can project various visuals and colours onto the 3D ceiling.

[via the creators project]