The courtyard of the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris comes alive every summer with a high-quality mapping show. However, once autumn arrives, the open-air spectacle must come to an end until the next season.
Since the end of September 2023, the Invalides now offer a new immersive multimedia experience under the Dome and in the surrounding chapels. This experience can now take place all year round.
This new experience was inspired by Cultival, a company that animates places of historical significance, supported by the Army Museum, the manager of the Invalides. It was brought to life by Moment Factory, a Quebec-based studio responsible for the spectacle at the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal.
The founders of Cultival were enthusiastic about creating a unique and emotional experience using light and orchestration, and they were determined to find a location with a rich history to develop this new generation mapping technique.
That location is the Dome of the Invalides, which houses the tomb of Emperor Napoleon, his generals, and his close family.
Since September 22, the result has been called AURA Invalides, a monumental creation where the interplay of light, orchestral music, and video mapping combine with the majestic architecture of the Dome, whose golden façade has illuminated the Parisian sky for over three centuries.
