Once Upon a Time in Paris — The Track Arches of Gare de l’Est

As an extension of Liaison Verte — Vision, the lighting masterplan imagined for the surface-level connection of the Tripôle des gares, Atelier dada developed, on its own initiative, a more intimate and immersive proposal: an interactive sound-and-light installation around the electrical arches of the SNCF tracks at Gare de l’Est.

The idea began with an existing element. Above the railway fan, the electrical arches form a powerful, almost choreographic repetition. Atelier dada proposed to reveal them not as an added décor, but as an infrastructure already inhabited by flows: trains, travellers, passers-by, and intersecting views from the platforms, the station and the city, notably from Rue Alsace Haute and the green roof of Okko hotel, object of the initial commission.

The lighting device transformed these structures into a warm and vibrant composition, made of red, pink, orange and yellow tones. This luminous presence accompanied the rhythm of the site without erasing its railway nature. The installation could be perceived and experienced from several points: the platforms and, by extension, the interior of Gare de l’Est, rue d’Alsace at the heart of the project, the OKKO Hotel, and the stone lattice bridge overlooking the tracks.

The sound dimension was conceived as an intimate and non-intrusive experience. The lighting movement was synchronised with a musical reference associated with the world of Erik Satie, accessible here: listen to the sound reference. Passers-by or travellers could synchronise themselves with this temporality by opening the dedicated app and listening to the music through their headphones. Sound was therefore not imposed on the public space; each person could choose whether or not to enter this parallel listening experience.

The choice of Satie was not anecdotal. A major French composer and pianist, connected to Paris, Montmartre and the avant-gardes, he opened another layer of interpretation for the project. At the edge of the 18th arrondissement, the installation created real and imaginary bridges between eras, districts and layers of collective memory. It allowed the Tripôle des gares to resonate not only as a place of passage, but as a cultural and sensory threshold.

This proposal was presented to the City of Paris as part of the reflection on the urban connection between Gare de l’Est, Gare Magenta and Gare du Nord. Favourably received, it was intended to be forwarded to SNCF, with the intention of putting Atelier dada in contact with its representatives in view of a possible implementation.

Through this installation, Atelier dada proposed to transform a fragment of railway infrastructure into an urban score: a luminous presence visible from the city, a possible personal listening experience, and a shared experience built without imposing sound on the place. Between mobility, memory and perception, the arches of Gare de l’Est became a discreet instrument for reconnecting the city with itself.