PRESS RELEASE
11.05.2022
Europa Expérience – Europa Experience
Exhibition in Paris opens
Discover Europe in Paris: the multimedia exhibition “Europa Expérience” invites visitors to do just that in the French capital from May 14. The exhibition was designed by ATELIER BRÜCKNER. Located directly on Place de la Madeleine, it provides informative and entertaining access to the European Union. On a space of 1,500 square meters, the visitor finds answers to the questions: What are European politics? How do they work? And how does the EU Parliament work?
The answers are presented in an appealing and transparent way that is both informative and experiential - and what is more, in a total of 24 languages, the official languages of the EU. Visitors are involved through interaction and direct personal address; a 360-degree cinema and a role play complement the exhibition. European politics up close.
Round media tables and a large-scale panorama dominate the first exhibition room. The wall entitled “Everyday Europe” offers a collage of European landscapes with integrated screens. The inhabitants of Europe have their say. They talk about what connects them to the EU; for example, the Bulgarian music student and choir director Darina Charkarova who is engaged in the World Youth Choir and the Festival Europa Cantat thanks to support from the EU Mobility Fund.
On the “Real Time Table”, the visitor obtains an insight into the day-to-day work of the European Parliament: schedules and tweets of the politicians can be seen here. A second table presents the collaboration between the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. The view of La Madelaine church is flanked by two further media stations portraying the members of the European Parliament and the European Commission: Each of the 705 MEPs and all of the 27 EU Commissioners, including the Presidents, are present in word and images.
And what is YOUR connection to the EU? “I stand for Europe because...”. Visitors can answer this question in the photo booth. Photos and answers can be seen in the exhibition as a projection and can also be shared with other stations of the “Europa Experience” - currently with Berlin, Helsinki, Tallin, Ljubljana and Copenhagen. ATELIER BRÜCKNER has designed these places with a shared appearance: They are part of an overall concept that is being used to successively transfer the content of the PARLAMENTARIUM in Brussels to all European capital cities. The visitor centre of the European Parliament was opened in the Belgium capital in 2011. By the European elections in 2024, each of the 27 EU member states will receive their own “Europa Experience”. Work has already started in Dublin, Lisbon, Luxembourg, Madrid, Prague, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna and Warsaw.
A special feature in Paris is the planned media wall “France in the EU”. In the future, the wall will present local EU programs. Spatially, this leads into the room called “United in Diversity”, a two-level inner space dominated by a 75 square-metre floor map. It shows a Europe without borders. With augmented reality tablets, visitors explore the points on the map which present various resolutions of the European Parliament, targets and effects. More than 90 success stories transport the shared foundations of European politics, its institutions and programs - both current and historical. Balancing this, a film presents the diversity of Europe, accompanied by a sound composition. The film is shown on a circular disc which forms the sky above the floor map. The visitor is immersed in a dense atmospheric experience of the EU motto “United in diversity”.
A further immersive experience of European policy awaits the visitor in the basement. A 360-degree film presents the successes and challenges of the EU. The film room with 36 seats puts the visitors into the middle of things. Here, they can deep dive into the history and obtain an outlook on upcoming tasks like climate change and peace politics.
On the first floor, things get very real: a role play invites visitors to shape policy as a parliamentarian. The game can be booked via the website of the Europe Experience for groups of 16 to 32 persons. The individual steps of the legislation process are given a spatial expression. Brightly coloured party cells (yellow, grey, magenta and green) are surrounded by small screens on which the opinion of individual lobbyists is presented. Faction rooms and a plenary chamber are available. Each participant joins a party: Ecology, Liberty, Tradition and Solidarity. Young people learn to speak in front of an audience, to discuss an issue constructively, to compromise, to make decisions and to stand up for their political opinion - they learn what it means to actively participate in the idea of a united Europe.
ATELIER BRÜCKNER is one of the world’s leading exhibition designers. With offices in Stuttgart and Seoul, the agency that was founded 25 years ago is now led by Shirin Brückner, Prof. Eberhard Schlag, Britta Nagel and René Walkenhorst. 120 employees contribute to the development of narrative spaces for museums, brands and visitor centres. The focus is on emotionally conveying content in a long-lasting experience.
INFORMATION
Photos (jpg_300 dpi) and floor plans can be found under the following link:
https://www.atelier-brueckner.com/en/erlebnis-europa-europa-experience
Europa Expérience
28, place de la Madeleine, 75008 Paris
paris(at)europa-experience.eu
T. +33 01 40 63 40 00
www.paris.europa-experience.eu
Opening hours:
daily apart from Tuesday, 10 am to 6 pm
Admission free
