Dive into the future: the new Bassins de Lumières in Bordeaux

Raw concrete, steel, water, darkness, a fascinating history... in the Bassins à Flots district in Bordeaux, the submarine base is an extraordinary place. An enormous construction of 42,000m² on the banks of the Garonne, this bunker of almost 20 metres deep was built by the Germans to house submarines during the Second World War.

Organised across 11 cells separated by thick concrete walls and linked together by an interior walkway, the base regularly hosts temporary exhibitions, concerts and shows in a very ‘underground’ atmosphere.

Journey to the center of the paintings

Four of these water basins measuring 100 meters long, 22 meters wide and 12 meters high house one of the largest multimedia installations in the world. The surface area of the Bassins de Lumières is five times that of the Atelier des Lumières in Paris, twice that of the Carrières de Lumières, the first digital and immersive art center installed by Culturespaces in Les Baux-de-Provence.

Thanks to the Amiex (Art & Music Immersive Experience) process, the Bassins de Lumières offer visitors the chance to travel, in music, to the heart of the paintings. Van Gogh and then Klimt have already been guests at the Atelier des Lumières in Paris and at the Carrières de Lumières in Provence.

According to the same principle, the paintings and sculptures of the greatest masters of the history of art marry in Bordeaux, by the magic of a hundred video-projectors and thousands of digitized images, the monumental architecture of the submarine base.

Reflections and sensations

Adding to the enchantment, the projections are reflected on the water of the four immense basins. For this XXL visual and sound experience, the visit, offered continuously, is done on overhanging footbridges and along the quays. Sensations guaranteed!

All year round, the Bassins de Lumières present several programs simultaneously: a digital exhibition devoted to the great masters of art history coexists with digital creations by contemporary artists installed in a dedicated space called "The Cube".

After Gustave Klimt, Paul Klee, Yves Klein, Claude Monet and Joaquín Sorolla, two great figures in the history of art are honored in 2023.
To the bewitching music of Pink Floyd, the immersive exhibition "Dalí, the endless enigma" allows the spectators to rediscover several masterpieces of the surrealist painter. The second exhibition, "Dalí, the Endless Enigma", allows visitors to rediscover several of the surrealist painter's masterpieces, followed by Gaudí's architectural creations, which parade before their eyes.

Find out more: - Les Bassins de Lumières - Prepare your stay in Bordeaux - Read more: 8 must-see museums in Bordeaux