HOUSTON, TX.- Following the devastating fire on April 15, 2019 that destroyed the roof, spire, and much of the interior of Notre-Dame de Paris, the iconic Gothic cathedral will reopen to the public on Saturday, December 7, 2024. Commemorating this historic moment, Ars Electronica, in partnership with French start-ups Iconem and Histovery, has developed an unprecedented immersive experience that brings visitors into a virtual, three dimensional model of Notre-Dame. The presentation uses point cloud data compiled by the late, renowned Belgian art historian and Vassar College professor Andrew Tallon, who created 3-D laser scans of the cathedral in 2010 that proved instrumental in guiding the reconstruction of the cathedral as well as additional scans and 3D material by Histovery. The Notre-Dame immersive experience will be on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston from November 23, 2024, through January 5, 2025.

The monumental virtual installation by the Ars Electronica Futurelab recreates the experience of being in the medieval cathedral’s majestic space, while revealing the extraordinary achievement of those engaged in Notre Dame’s five-year restoration: a team of nearly 2,000, both on site and in workshops across France, including conservators, carpenters, glassmakers, locksmiths, engineers, and scaffolding experts. The presentation showcases the legendary architectural features of the cathedral, including its famed stained-glass windows, as well as the role of new technologies in preserving and communicating humanity’s cultural heritage.

Commented Gary Tinterow, MFAH director and Margaret Alkek Williams chair, “It is difficult to exaggerate the role Notre-Dame plays in the public imagination, from its iconic architecture, emblematic of the Northern Gothic style, to its magnificent stained-glass rose windows. When fire erupted five years ago, millions of people around the world grieved the loss of a monument that had personal significance to each of them. Happily, the cathedral has been restored, and now Houstonians will be among the first to experience the reconstructed building that rose from the ashes.”

Sited in the Museum’s Cullinan Hall, the projections surround visitors across three monumental walls. The animated, 14-minute presentation replicates the experience of approaching the cathedral from its plaza as light shifts from daytime to dusk to evening, with views of its façade on three sides; entering the nave, illuminated by candlelight; and viewing the stained-glass windows. That sequence is followed by visuals of the overnight fire, and its aftermath. The final sequence illuminates the cathedral’s newly reconstructed spire, topped with a cross and a golden rooster. The rooster, which was thought to have been lost when the spire collapsed in the fire, was discovered intact in the rubble, and is now on display in the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine museum in Paris. In its place atop the spire is a reproduction of the original sculpture. The sacred relics that had been placed within the original rooster in the 19th century have been transferred to the new one. The rooster is a national emblem of France and a symbol of Christianity; this new figure, with its flame like wings, was intended to recall a phoenix, with its associations of rebirth, renewal, and hope.