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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Lascaux IV in Montignac, France by SnøhettaApril 19th, 2017 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Snøhetta The new International Centre for Cave Art (Centre International d’Art Parietal) in Montignac, France welcomes visitors to an immersive educational experience of the prehistoric Lascaux cave paintings. Known by archaeologists as the ‘Sistine Chapel of Prehistory’ due to their spiritual and historical significance, the 20,000-year-old paintings are among the finest known examples of art from the Paleolithic period.  Image Courtesy © Snøhetta
 Image Courtesy © Snøhetta Architects Snøhetta and SRA, alongside scenographer Casson Mann, worked closely with a team of archaeologists to create a holistic museum and educational experience. As an interpretation center featuring state-of-the-art experiential storytelling technology paired with a facsimile of the caves, Lascaux IV offers visitors an opportunity to discover the caves in a unique way that reveals a sense of wonder and mystery, as if they, too, were the first group of adventurers to stumble upon the cave paintings.  Image Courtesy © Snøhetta  Image Courtesy © Snøhetta The Lascaux Caves paintings were first discovered in 1940, and opened to visitors in 1948. Soon after the opening, however, the mass influx of visitors and the exposure to exterior elements had begun to degrade the paintings. In 1963, the original Lascaux Caves were permanently closed to the public to preserve the extraordinary art from irreparable damage brought on by its overwhelming popularity, and the fragile site was granted UNESCO World Heritage Status in 1979. In 2010, for the 70th anniversary of the cave discovery, the International Centre for Cave Art project, Lascaux IV was announced.  Image Courtesy © Snøhetta  Image Courtesy © Snøhetta As a striking, contemporary addition to the landscape of the Vézère Valley, Lascaux IV frames a new experience of some of the finest known examples of prehistoric art, and offers profound new ways of understanding the rich heritage of the site. The contemporary geometry and materiality also counters the potential trap of artifice: allowing the visitor to understand that they are in the presence of a reproduction, without distracting from the power of its impact. The exterior reflects the contours of the limestone geology and reveals a dramatic exhibition experience designed to transport the visitor into a cave complex complete with tunnels, chambers lit by shafts of broken sunlight, and paintings that are mediated by state of the art technology and scenographic techniques.  Image Courtesy © Snøhetta  Image Courtesy © Snøhetta Located in Montignac, Dordogne, France at the heart of Périgord Noir, the Lascaux Cave, is a masterpiece of cave art. The Vézère Valley in Dordogne, where Montignac lies, is considered the cradle of prehistoric European civilization and the home of many cave painting sites. Following its discovery on September 12, 1940 and subsequent opening to the public in 1948, the Lascaux Cave became a major tourist attraction and a world-renowned prehistoric site. The visitors and exposure to exterior elements later began to degrade the paintings, leading to the permanent closure of the caves to public access in 1963. In 1979, the cave was granted UNESCO World Heritage site status.  Image Courtesy © Snøhetta  Image Courtesy © Snøhetta In the years that followed the closing of the caves, the preservation of this “Sistine Chapel of prehistory” was made high priority, while two other replicas, Lascaux II and III, provided the public with partial exhibition of the caves. Lascaux II has been seen by more than ten million visitors since its opening in 1983, and an exhibition (Lascaux III) has been touring the world since 2012: Bordeaux, Brussels, Paris, Geneva, Chicago, Houston, Montreal, South Korea and now Japan. In 2010, for the 70th anniversary of the cave discovery, the International Centre for Cave Art project, Lascaux IV, was announced. Lascaux IV was initiated to conserve the integrity of the original cave complex, while ensuring that the public can still appreciate the remarkable Paleolithic paintings within. It is part of a strategy to establish Lascaux and the region as an internationally culturally and scientifically significant attraction in terms of access, understanding and conservation of parietal art.  Image Courtesy © Snøhetta  Image Courtesy © Snøhetta Initiated by the Département of Dordogne, the European Union, the French State and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, the International Centre for Cave Art opened on 15 December, 2016 by President Francois Hollande. This new museum houses Lascaux IV, the most recent and extensive replica of the cave paintings. The museum’s mission is to develop, promote and educate on the wealth of paintings and carvings adorning the Lascaux Cave.  Image Courtesy © Snøhetta  Image Courtesy © Snøhetta  Image Courtesy © Snøhetta  Image Courtesy © Snøhetta  Image Courtesy © Snøhetta  Image Courtesy © Snøhetta  Image Courtesy © Snøhetta
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