Grotte Chauvet 2 - Vallon-Pont-d’Arc

In Vallon-Pont-d’Arc, in the Ardèche department, Ponctuelle designed the lighting for the replica of the Chauvet Cave, the world’s largest replica of a decorated cave, which opened in 2015.

Covering 3,000 m², the site recreates the Chauvet-Pont d’Arc Cave, a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose paintings, more than 35,000 years old, are among the oldest known.

Before the first sketches, the Ponctuelle team went down into the original cave, equipped with small spotlights, to experience its emotion and almost theatrical drama. This experience shaped the entire approach. As visitors move through the replica along a walkway, from station to station, the light guides them through the half-light and reveals the walls and paintings with restraint.

Like a mirror held up to our own humanity.

Client: Syndicat mixte de l’Espace de restitution de la grotte Chauvet
Area: 3,000 m²
Scope: lighting design, site supervision and focusing
Completion: 2015
Lead architect: Fabre / Speller architectes

Partners:
Scenography: Scène
Lighting design: Ponctuelle