Everland - Hotel or Art?
For those of you who like to mix your culture with a relaxing time, why now try out Paris' hippest new "art" hotel? Hotel Everland is a one room hotel-cum-artwork, located on the roof of the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, with a cinemascopic view of the Eiffel Tower.
Brief encounter
Don't expect to stay in this chic hotel for long though. Reservations are being taken for two months hence... for the lucky person who happens to go to the Everland website at the random moment the next available date is released. And demand is high! If you are that lucky person, you and your guest will be allowed to stay for one night only. But, ah, what a night! Full hotel service to this room-on-the-roof (bathroom included) is provided by the neighbouring Sezz Hotel. Once installed, you will have the luxury of contemplating an interactive artwork from within its core, whilst being able to study that other artwork in evolution - the Paris skyline by night. For the less fortunate, we will have to content ourselves with guided tours as part of the Palais de Tokyo's programme, which take place every afternoon between guest check-out and check-in time...presumably while the maid is changing the sheets!
Artist team
Everland is the creation of Swiss/American artist team L/B, otherwise known as Sabina Lang and Daniel Baumann. Originally created for the Swiss National Exhibition, Expo .02, the Everland Hotel was first set up overlooking Lake Neuchatel in Switzerland, before being installed on the roof of Leipzig's Contemporary Museum of Art. The artists were inspired by Joe Columbo's retro-futurist residential design experiments in Finland in the 1960s, and have incorporated many details into the room to encourage greater exploration of the environment, such as a collection of records and a turntable.
Lucky few
Only a few will have the opportunity to spend one night in this unique location until the end of 2008, so start checking the Everland website regularly now, and you might just get lucky. Otherwise, like the rest of us, you'll just have to wait to find out where this piece of art will land next... Rio, Venice, Stonehenge?!
Octobre 2008
By Helen FITZGERALD
