Floating stars2024

150 glass blown pieces, rope, wooden battens 200 m2

With Constellations Flottantes, Mathilde Caylou presents an installation in blown glass, rope and wooden battens, inspired by traditional glass floats. This work, made up of hollow glass spheres surrounded by net-like ropes, evokes the tale of the man who tried to catch the moon in his nets, only to realise that it was only his own reflection in the water. The influence of the stars on water, plants and living things in general becomes apparent, creating a sensation of infinitesimality within a vast whole.

The installation invites us to question our relationship with the environment, our roots in the ground, our position in space and the illusion of our omnipotence. The relationship with the sky and the desire to conquer new territories, whether terrestrial or celestial, raise profound questions.

As a material of light, glass reacts to reflections and to changes in the atmosphere of light, passing from a solid state to a liquid state because of its reaction to temperature. As an amorphous material, it shares physical and aesthetic similarities with water, summoning up the four elements. Originating from the earth (silica) and shaped by breath, glass evokes a harmonious fusion of natural elements.

Method

For this project, Mathilde Caylou reproduced the night sky chart for 8 June 2024 in Esch-sur-Sûre. Each float symbolises a star, linked to the others by white-painted wooden strips. The glass spheres, mouth-blown in shades of greyish white, take on a lunar appearance thanks to the surface treatment of the glass, resembling submerged stars. At night, these spheres will glow slightly in the early evening, thanks to their phosphorescent pigments. The slats between them will redraw the constellations, recreating a celestial cartography.