New exhibition in Paris delights the world. The Commodity Exchange has been transformed into a temple of sound and water
The rotunda of the Paris Mercantile Exchange has been transformed into a poetic, aquatic, and musical landscape thanks to “Clinamen,” a mesmerizing installation by French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot. “It evokes the desire to capture infinity in the enclosed space of a canvas.”
From 6 June 2025, the Paris Merchandise Exchange (Bourse de Commerce) will be the stage for one of the most sensual and contemplative designs of the season.
The exhibition " Clinamen ", by French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot , is an immersive installation that invites viewers to immerse themselves in a space of sound, water and light. Curated by Emma Lavigne, General Director of the Pinault Collection, this unique undertaking.
Art installation Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, Clinamen, Paris, 2025 / press materials Bourse de CommerceLocated in the heart of Paris, the Mercure Paris Gare de Paris is an architectural gem and contemporary art institution owned by François Pinault , president of the luxury conglomerate Kering .
Since its major renovation by Tadao Ando, the Rotunda has taken on a new identity—a space for dialogue between history and modernity. Now, the vast 19th-century dome will become a living canvas for the aural and visual symphony clinamen .
Art installation Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, Clinamen, Paris, 2025 / press materials Bourse de CommerceClinamen is not just an installation, but a living organism. In the center of the rotunda, Céleste Boursier-Mougenot placed a circular pool, 18 meters in diameter, filled with water. On its surface, reflecting the sky visible through the dome, float white porcelain bowls .
Art installation Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, Clinamen, Paris, 2025 / press materials Bourse de CommerceDriven by a gentle current, they collide with each other, producing pure, random sounds. The collision of the bowls produces subtle, unpredictable tones —delicate, like the sound of porcelain hitting water.
- The concentric vibrations on the surface of this blue pane bring to mind the desire to capture infinity in the enclosed space of the canvas – an aspiration shared by Miró, Rothko and Monet - explains the curator of the exhibition, Emma Lavigne, quoted by Design Boom.
Art installation Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, Clinamen, Paris, 2025 / press materials Bourse de CommerceThe title of the installation is not accidental – clinamen comes from Epicurean physics and refers to the spontaneous, unpredictable movement of atoms. It is this unpredictability that forms the core of the work – it draws the viewer into a state of deep concentration and reflection, forcing an almost meditative pause.
"If you try to predict the sound that will come out of two porcelain bowls before they collide, you're more likely to be disappointed," says Boursier-Mougenot.
In a time of excess stimulus, Clinamen proposes the opposite: radical slowdown. The installation will be open to the public in the Rotunda of the Paris Mercantile Exchange until September 21, 2025.
Art installation Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, Clinamen, Paris, 2025 / press materials Bourse de Commerce
