Scenographic installation at the Council building

To do this, the General Secretariat of the French Presidency launched a bidding process. Architect and designer Sylvain Dubuisson won the tender and designed a 15-metre diameter globe, suspended from the roof and printed with 28 strips, each one denoting a Member State plus the European Union.

Sylvain Dubuisson describes his project in the following terms. (7 photos illustrate his comments)

"Movement and plurality are the themes of my scenographic project. These themes, arranged in an orderly composition, appear in several sequences:

1. The first sequence is located on the outer façade of the building.
A 30-metre long kakemono alerts the public to the presence of the French Presidency. The logo and the translations of "French Presidency - European Union" in the 23 EU languages appear on coloured backgrounds.

2. In the second sequence, an inflatable globe, whose size is in keeping with the vast foyer, represents the focal-point of the scenographic project. The transparent exterior features 28 coloured strips which reflect the flags of the Member States and the European Union. These suspended strips, which twist in spirals around the globe, have been printed in translucent inks (except the white which, for technical purposes, is more opaque) to enhance the globe's transparency and heighten the overlay effects. They not only reflect the individuality of each country, but also create an overall harmony through the combination and juxtaposition of the colours in an upward movement.

The reason for placing the two huge inclining mirrors on either side of the globe becomes apparent at a key point at the very heart of the foyer. Anyone crossing the foyer who stands at this point under the globe, can glance up and see the logo of the French Presidency reflected in the mirrors against the coloured strips. From this focal point, the globe fills the whole space of each mirror.

On the walls, a dozen television screens broadcast on-demand rolling news programmes from the channels of the Member States. This live broadcast of plural points of view, for which various technical building-related problems had to be overcome, captures images which enhance the diversity of each Member State. The satellite links which were set up for the project will remain in place in Justus Lipsius.

Lightweight, easy-to-move benches in the French Presidency colours of grey, red and blue encourage mobility and complete the scene.

The foyer's sequence thus has two complementary dimensions, each one commanding the public's attention and interaction:

• the first sequence is artistic, in its representation and staging of the dynamic nature of the different States,
• the second is IT-oriented, in its projection of the plurality of points of view.

3. On leaving the foyer, before reaching the floors where the delegation offices, meeting rooms and the Council Chamber are located, the scenic design's third sequence provides the finishing touch: a clock projected onto an 8-metre wide screen. With each passing minute, the 27 flags are projected around the hour and minute points of the clock, marking the seconds as they tick by. The flags appear and disappear, depicting a large oval, whose dynamic and plural nature echoes a Europe in movement."

• Updated: 15.01.2009

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