the dulcet and harmonic lines of the marble hillock, correspond to Mathieu
Lehanneur’s style. He has often used layered, stacked and linear surfaces.
They reflect the attention given to the combination of modern design and
a sense of respect for the integrity of the space and the codes of religious
architecture. The fluid and fine lines of the design echoes the sober traits
of the heavy Romanesque architecture while the whiteness of the marble
that floods the space render an ethereal white air in combination with the
sunlight. The marble religious furnishings refer to purity that inspires the
whole atmosphere of the combination of new and old to create a meditative
space for worship. The ultimate synthesis between the design, the building
and its environment is the baptistery that is directly carved in the marble.
The water in the small pool formed by the marble seems to come from the
spring running under the church. This reinforces the impression of a preexisting place and the geological placement of the construction within its
natural surroundings.
RELIGION AS NEW SPACE FOR DESIGN?
As a great example of adaptation of modern design to spiritual and
traditional architecture, Mathieu Lehanneur’s choir of the Church Saint
Hilaire points out the possibilities in the synthesis of those two different
worlds. Religion seems to conservatively maintain its functions, values,
codes and rules throughout history. In contrast design seeks to move past
any form of frontier in the quest to constantly renew itself in search of
new solutions for new problems. Besides its iconography, religion is home
to a series of established conventions and codes as well as a very specific
language to define its visual identity. In an intangible world of signs and
signifiers, religion seems closed to new inspiration. Conversely, design has as
a goal to adapt itself and respond to new realities within the present ideas
of consumerism.
The conversion of the Choir of the Church Saint-Hilaire doesn’t stand for
the merging of religion and design. Rather it points to the possibilities of
adapting a design approach with the idea to create physical and symbolic
correspondences at the layer of material and form with something as
complex and mysterious as religious rituals. Mathieu Lehanneur has
succeeded in moving past the restrictions of a religious viewpoint while
respecting still its codes and liturgical rules. It is within this predefined set
of religious conventions that he has managed to reinvigorate the language
of design for religious purposes. Using the symbolic and material properties
of marble as his strategy, he has found a way to create archetypal forms from
stone connecting to the divine to create a modern design for sacred space.
TEMMUZ-AĞUSTOS / JULY-AUGUST 20011 • NATURA 19