The Charon project by artist Peter Hudson, alias Hudzo, was born at the Burning Man festival in the Black Rock desert in the United States: a gigantic wheel almost ten meters high, entirely propelled by a dozen people and whose inner edges are flanked by twenty human-like skeletons. Passers-by are invited to participate themselves in this collective work and to pull on the ropes to activate the monumental object. When the cable pullers are coordinated enough to spin the wheel in unison and at the correct speed, a strobe is activated, revealing the animation of the skeletons.
This tells the story of Charon, the mythological gondolier and ferryman of the Underworld, who transports the souls of the recently deceased across the Styx River, the last rite of passage on the way to the afterlife. With this fascinating object, Peter Hudson revives the art of zoetropes, these first forms of animation dating from the 1800s, composed of a cylinder on the inner wall of which a progression of images was displayed. Pierced with slits, this rotating wheel gave the viewer the illusion of movement. With Charon, the magic happens on a grand scale. And beyond the meditative imagery it generates, it raises many questions about existence and progress.
In partnership with La Villette
In the press
The moving wheel refers to the story of Charon, the ferryman who, according to the ancient Greeks, was responsible for bringing the deceased to the afterlife by crossing the Styx.
Le BonBon - Alice T
20 replicas of human skeletons have been thought out to the smallest detail and are installed on this wheel. Impressive when stopped, all the magic comes to life when it is activated thanks to pulled strings, Charon starts up, triggering a stroboscope revealing a hypnotic show...
Ouest France - Yona Baron
Impressive, the hypnotic work will be even more so at night, when the movement is illuminated by strobe lights and will allow you to better appreciate this zoetrope optical effect.
20 Minutes - Julie Urbach
Distribution
Idée originale Peter Hudson
Production Building 180
Production
Production and Management : Building 180 - Producer + Executive Director : Shannon Riley - Contact : Shannon@building180.com - Company Name : Spin Art, LLC - Assessed by : Peter Hudson - hudzo.com ©photo Mitzi Peirone
FROM 11 TO 30 JULY FROM 3 PM TO 12 AM
FREE
ACCESSIBILITY
WARNING TO THE ATTENTION OF THE PUBLIC, USE OF STROBOSCOPIC LIGHTS (FROM 10 PM)
LIEU
PARC DE LA VILLETTE
Place de la Fontaine aux Lions, 75019 Paris
M5 • Porte de Pantin station
T3B • Porte de Pantin – Parc de la Villette
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Tuesday 11 July - 03pm00
Place de la Fontaine aux Lions - La Villette
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Wednesday 12 July - 03pm00
Place de la Fontaine aux Lions - La Villette
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Thursday 13 July - 03pm00
Place de la Fontaine aux Lions - La Villette
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Friday 14 July - 03pm00
Place de la Fontaine aux Lions - La Villette
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Saturday 15 July - 03pm00
Place de la Fontaine aux Lions - La Villette
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Sunday 16 July - 03pm00
Place de la Fontaine aux Lions - La Villette
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Monday 17 July - 03pm00
Place de la Fontaine aux Lions - La Villette
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Tuesday 18 July - 03pm00
Place de la Fontaine aux Lions - La Villette
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Wednesday 19 July - 04pm00
Place de la Fontaine aux Lions - La Villette
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Thursday 20 July - 04pm00
Place de la Fontaine aux Lions - La Villette
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Friday 21 July - 04pm00
Place de la Fontaine aux Lions - La Villette
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Saturday 22 July - 04pm00
Place de la Fontaine aux Lions - La Villette
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Sunday 23 July - 04pm00
Place de la Fontaine aux Lions - La Villette
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Monday 24 July - 03pm00
Place de la Fontaine aux Lions - La Villette
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Tuesday 25 July - 03pm00
Place de la Fontaine aux Lions - La Villette
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Wednesday 26 July - 04pm00
Place de la Fontaine aux Lions - La Villette
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Thursday 27 July - 04pm00
Place de la Fontaine aux Lions - La Villette
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Friday 28 July - 04pm00
Place de la Fontaine aux Lions - La Villette
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Saturday 29 July - 04pm00
Place de la Fontaine aux Lions - La Villette
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Sunday 30 July - 04pm00
Place de la Fontaine aux Lions - La Villette