Melon, 2018 

 

250m² domed ceiling, 450m² window arches 

printed on textile Barrisol, adhesive vinyl print for window

halles Laissac opened december 2018, Montpellier

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This in situ project, selected through a public competition, is a permanent installation located inside the Halles Laissac building in Montpellier, France. The work unfolds across the lantern ceiling via an approximately 250 m² stretched micro-perforated fabric, and along the upper sections of the ground-floor peripheral glazing, covering around 450 m².

 

The project originates from a seemingly simple idea by Mona Young-eun Kim: the exploration of a single fruit - the melon.

 

As a referential object, the melon generates multiple variations in color, material, skin, and flesh, as well as in the pure, rounded lines that echo the building’s architecture and history. It also evokes warmth, sunlight, and the markets of southern France, situating the work within a Mediterranean sensibility.

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The installation reveals a visual harmony between the ceiling and the glazed surfaces, whose arcade forms engage in dialogue with the hall’s architecture inspired by the Baltard style.

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Melon is a permanent installation at Halles Laissac, Montpellier, France.