This Moroccan Church Was Transformed Into An Interactive “Magic Carpet”

When you think of Roman Catholic churches, an “interactive display of light and colour” probably isn’t the first thing that pops in your mind. Thank to Miguel Chevalier and his Magic Carpets, that might just change.

Magic Carpets takes the main corridor of the Casablanca Cathedral (Sacré-Cœur de Casablanca) and transforms it into a seemingly-endless carpet of light, filled with vibrant colours and oceanic movements. As curious visitors walk along the installation, they immediately become captivated by the merging, bending, and twisting patterns engulfing their senses.

Born in 1959 in Mexico, Miguel now resides in Paris, where he continues to find inspiration for his contemporary art. His website gives us an in-depth explanation of his pieces, ” his works investigate and explore recurrent themes such as nature and artifice, flows and networks, virtual cities and ornate designs. His images are a rich source of insights into ourselves and our relationship with the world.” Accurate it is, as you can see all of the aforementioned attributes in Magic Carpets.

Inspiration for this particular installation came from microorganisms, cellular automata, and the world of biology. You can clearly see some of the resemblances to our micro-verse within the many moving shapes and colours of Magic Carpets, along with several of Miguel’s other works, like Fractal Flowers in Céret, France, and Pixels Wave in Singapore.

The following videos are two examples of this incredibly beautiful artistic concept, and I hope you enjoy them both. Watch the colours blend into each other with fluidity and ease, and imagine walking along the constantly moving digital display. Combining complexity and simplicity, with nature and technology, is an incredible feat. Thanks to Miguel Chevalier, it is now it is one you can be a part of and experience personally.