Paris vu par Hollywood - Libération de Paris - Paris haute couture
Audiovisual content production for temporary exhibitions by the City of Paris
The City of Paris organizes two temporary exhibitions each year in the Saint-Jean room at the Hôtel de Ville. These exhibitions, all exploring a theme centered around the City of Paris, are assigned to a different curator and are free for the public.
Reciproque was asked by the Communications Department to design and produce the multimedia and audiovisual content over a cycle of three exhibitions.
The “Paris vu par Hollywood” (Paris seen by Hollywood) exhibition (from September 18 to December 15, 2012), designed by curator Antoine Debeck, presented the chronological evolution of how America viewed Paris, through some 70 film extracts and nearly 400 documents (photographs, film sets, costumes, scripts, posters) pulled from French and American archives. Reciproque created a 20-minute audiovisual mural, broadcasted on an 18-meter-long screen, using film extracts and photographs at the center of the scenography.
The “Paris haute couture” exhibition (from March 2 to July 6, 2013), designed by curator Olivier Saillard, celebrated high fashion born in Paris in the mid-19th century. In collaboration with the Palais Galliera (the Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris), and with overwhelming support from Swarovski, this exhibition featured about a hundred haute couture dresses and outfits. The collection was completed with sketches and photographs, providing visitors with a backstage pass to these world-famous studios and with a glimpse into the creative process. Reciproque created four audiovisual montages on the history of haute couture fashion shows to be shown on giant screens displayed behind two-way mirrors in the middle of the showcases.
On August 26, 2014, the Hôtel de Ville celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Liberation of Paris with an exhibition entitled “Libération de Paris”, designed by curator Christine Levisse-Touzé (from June 20 to September 27, 2014). Co-produced with the Musée de la Liberation de Paris - Musée du Général Leclerc de Hauteclocque - Musée Jean Moulin, this exhibition enabled visitors to relive the emotions of the decisive week of August 19 to 26, 1944, which would give rise to the Parisian insurgency and ultimately to the surrender of German general Dietrich von Choltitz. Reciproque designed and created two 20-meter-long audiovisual murals as well as four audiovisual stories featuring film rushes from the American Army as well as footage taken from Parisians and documentaries of the time.
The 24-minute narrative mural entitled “Août 1944, le combat pour la Liberté” (August 1944, the fight for Freedom) illustrates in seven chapters the key moments of the Liberation of Paris.
