Overview
The Philharmonie de Paris opens its Olympic season with Philippe Parreno and Douglas Gordon’s Zidane, a 21st century portrait – an audiovisual installation that plunges the visitor into a professional soccer game, into the poetic and multidimensional dynamics at the heart of the action.
In 2005, artists Philippe Parreno and Douglas Gordon came together to create a film shot live during a match between Real Madrid and Villarreal CF. Using 17 synchronised cameras positioned around the Santiago Bernabéu stadium in Madrid, they focused their lens on a single figure, Zidane. Moving with his body from the multiple vantage points, in a manner very unlike a traditional broadcast, the film paints a portrait of this modern soccer legend, Zinédine Zidane.
By coming as close as possible to the star player, Parreno and Gordon tried to decipher his genius, without wholly managing to capture Zidane’s inner self. The host of cameras gives the viewer a 360-degree perspective, immersing them in a multidimensional experience of the game and the sensation of being at the athlete’s side with his every move.
Featuring 17 screens suspended throughout the exhibition space, the installation draws the visitor into a sensory journey of images and sound. Zidane’s breathing, his inner voice, the sounds of clashes on the field, the chanting of the crowd, the noises of bodies colliding, of the ball being struck… All of this sound material, combined with original music by the Scottish post-rock group Mogwai, makes up the masterly score.
Directed by: Philippe Parreno and Douglas Gordon
Director of photography: Darius Khondji
Original music: Mogwa
Sound design: Nicolas Becker
