État des lieux

The Canadian artist Larissa Fassler, whose practice involves empirically mapping public spaces in order to visually reveal the relationships between these places and those who use them, was invited to conduct her research at the Musée d’Orsay in anticipation of the major redevelopment work the institution is planning to improve visitor flow.

From September to November 2023, Larissa Fassler spent three months visiting the Musée d’Orsay daily. She began by mapping the museum using her own body as a measuring tool. Each space was then rendered as a separate hand-drawn study. Onto these drawings, she began to chart the movement of people within the museum: in blue pen, a dot marks where someone stood still; a dashed line shows their path, shifting to red when the atmosphere changed – when visitors appeared blocked, frustrated, tense, or agitated.

She recorded what she saw, overheard, and noticed: snippets of conversation, body language, clothing, moments of friction or pause. Under the attentive gaze of this artist unfolds a état des lieux (a record of the present), capturing life within the museum before major renovations improve circulation.