If you’re travelling through Les Baux-de-Provence, be SURE to check out the Carrières de Lumières. This was one of the little hidden gems we found in Provence and the highlight of our trip to Les Baux. The Carrières de Lumières is a multimedia light show which is projected onto the walls of an ancient quarry.
Access and Admission
The Carrières de Lumières is located 800 m from the Château des Baux-de-Provence, 15 km north-east of Arles and 30 km south of Avignon. You can access it By road on the A7 motorway (exit Avignon), A9 (Nîmes) and A54 (Baux-de-Provence). The Carrières are less than 10 minutes walk from the village of Les Baux-de-Provence, so you can easily get there if you are parked near the village.
Tickets for the Carrières de Lumières can be purchased as a combined ticket with your entry to the castle. The combined ticket costs €17.5 for adults, €16 for seniors, €13.5 for children & students and €50 for families (2 adults and 2 children). Kids under 7 are free.
If you are looking just to see the Immersive Exhibition, tickets are €14 for adults, €13 for seniors, €11.5 for children and students, €39.5 for families (for 2 adults and 2 children) Kids under 7 are free.
The Immersive Experience
The show changes every year but always combines famous paintings from a particular artist with modern music and dynamic light projections which encapsulate the entire room into a mesmerizing exhibit. There are over 2,000 digital images projected onto over 7,000 m2 inside the quarry.
The projections cover the entire space from floor to ceiling. Viewers can walk around the whole time as different parts of the quarry display different designs and experiences. But if you want to relax you can find one of the many benches or sitting areas and simply sit to enjoy the show. The program is around 20-30 minutes long but I would advise staying for at least 2 cycles to make sure you experience all different aspects of the exhibit from various parts of the quarry.
The Artists
When we visited the show on display featured artworks from Bosch, Brueghel and Arcimboldo. The show featured a fantastical musical score by Luca Longobardi using music from Led Zeppelin. The combination of the antiquated artworks with modern music was one of the most innovative parts of the show.
Bosch, Brueghel and Arcimboldo were all artists who focused on the shifting nature of good and evil. Carefully curated pieces all combine together to create a seamless story of the variant nature of humanity.
In addition to modern music, the paintings themselves are animated and move as they are being projected. This brings these paintings to life in a way they’ve never been seen before. Even the slightest movement turns brings history to life.
Hieronymus Bosch’s paintings which are so detailed are blown up larger than life along the walls and ceilings. From this perspective, you can inspect the works close up. You’ll discover elements of the paintings you’ve never been able to see before. Check the website to see the theme they are presented this year. Or just show up and let yourself be surprised! No matter who the artist is, the love and passion the curators have for transforming the space and bringing art into people’s lives in a new perspective is always an absolute treat.
Les-Baux is a place you cannot skip on your travels through Provence! And a visit to see the Carrières de Lumières makes it all the more special. I hope you get the chance to experience everything this region has to offer for yourself.
Happy Travels, Adventurers
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