Marquee M1547

Marquee M1547, represents a pinnacle of Parreno’s interlocking fascinations of architecture, space, and memory. Installed over a doorway, the sculptural installation references eye-catching signage above mid-century movie theaters and music halls. Stripped of any headlining names, the horizontal bands of sanitized white light announce an experience and location without the designation the viewer expects. Instinctually, we are drawn to the liminal space below the work, looking up at the orderly bulbs and tubes arranged within transparent Plexiglas.
“I don’t even really look at the Marquees like objects anymore: they become puppets, automata. They are like those creatures invented by Mallarmé just because they sound great in a poem. A ptyx for example is defined as ‘Aboli bibelot d’inanité sonore,’ which translates as ‘Abolished shell whose resonance remains.’ I like to think about the Marquees as ‘abolished shells’” (P. Parreno, quoted in T. Eccles, “Philippe Parreno,” ArtReview, vol. 67, no. 7, October 2015, p. 80). A conventional movie marquee anticipates an entertainment event, however Parreno has reduced the marquee form from a garish advertisement into a neutered, otherworldly being. The minimal form removes context and exemplifies the artist’s goal towards “finding a condition for things to happen” (ibid.). Further to the concept of puppeteering, the literal energy of the light pulses for Marquee M1547 can be controlled, allowing for a constant reenergizing and renewal of experience.
Similarly, Marquee M1547 overlooks the viewing space between the top of a doorway and the ceiling. Elevated above the standard museum viewing height, Marquee M1547 forces viewers to gaze upwards and interrupts the passive ritual of traditional art-observing. On his process of exhibition-making, Parreno said, “I like to think about a space as a battery” (P. Parreno, quoted in T. Eccles, “Philippe Parreno,” ArtReview, vol. 67, no. 7, October 2015, p. 80). The artwork both activates the architecture of the space, and in a way, acts as a luminous campfire, gathering people from various experiences to ruminate and reflect.
Marquee M1547 represents the essence of Parreno’s oeuvre, as it permeates the space and introduces open-ended questions regarding our collective attention. The minimalist clean lighting and angular structure appeals immediately, and the resulting intervention leads us to consider our interconnectedness, among other possibilities. As Parreno notes, “there is no art without conversation” (D. Khondji, “Philippe Parreno,” Interview Magazine, 24 October 2013).