A Symphony of Chance: Céleste Boursier‑Mougenot’s ‘clinamen’

In the heart of Paris, a delicate and mesmerizing installation is happening beneath a soaring glass dome.

Céleste Boursier‑Mougenot’s installation clinamen has transformed the rotunda of the Bourse de Commerce into an immersive, musical oasis. 

The piece consists of over 200 white porcelain bowls gently drifting across a vast circular pool of water.

As they collide and separate, they produce a spontaneous, melodic soundscape, entirely unplanned, yet strangely harmonious.

Listen to the bowls gently making music below.

Xippas Galleries on Instagram: "#CelesteBoursierMougenot @boursedecommerce, Paris. On view! Céleste Boursier-Mougenot - clinamen Curated by Emma Lavigne, Chief Curator and General Director of the Pinault Collection. Until September 21, 2025! Do not miss! 📍Bourse de Commerce 2 rue de Viarmes, 75001 Paris - - - The Bourse de Commerce — Pinault Collection embraces the colors of the summer season with clinamen, an aquatic and musical installation by Céleste Boursier-Mougenot. This immersive project transforms the Rotunda into a space for contemplation, where an 18-meter-wide pool of water reflects the sky through the museum’s dome. On this blue expanse, white porcelain bowls, set in motion by a gentle current, produce melodious and incantatory sounds. These acoustic vibrations, created without the intervention of a performer, form the heart of the piece — a true symphony of the moment, evolving with the flow of invisible waves. - - - Video by @les.olices: Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, clinamen v.10 © ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Courtesy of the artist & the Bourse de Commerce. - - - @celesteboursiermougenot @emmalavigne_ #clinamen #BoursedeCommerce #pinaultcollectionbourse #xippasgalleries"

1,381 likes, 32 comments - xippasgalleries on July 15, 2025: "#CelesteBoursierMougenot @boursedecommerce, Paris. On view! Céleste Boursier-Mougenot - clinamen Curated by Emma Lavigne, Chief Curator and General Director of the Pinault Collection. Until September 21, 2025! Do not miss! 📍Bourse de Commerce 2 rue de Viarmes, 75001 Paris - - - The Bourse de Commerce — Pinault Collection embraces the colors of the summer season with clinamen, an aquatic and musical installation by Céleste Boursier-Mougenot. This immersive project transforms the Rotunda into a space for contemplation, where an 18-meter-wide pool of water reflects the sky through the museum’s dome. On this blue expanse, white porcelain bowls, set in motion by a gentle current, produce melodious and incantatory sounds. These acoustic vibrations, created without the intervention of a performer, form the heart of the piece — a true symphony of the moment, evolving with the flow of invisible waves. - - - Video by @les.olices: Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, clinamen v.10 © ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Courtesy of the artist & the Bourse de Commerce. - - - @celesteboursiermougenot @emmalavigne_ #clinamen #BoursedeCommerce #pinaultcollectionbourse #xippasgalleries".

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMIbRLdInD8/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading

The experience feels almost like witnessing a natural phenomenon. There are no musicians or composers here.

Instead, it’s the subtle current of water and the elegant randomness of movement that guides the sound. 

The term clinamen itself comes from an ancient Epicurean idea: the spontaneous swerve of atoms that gives birth to the unpredictable.

Fitting, then, that each moment within the installation is unique.

The installation is ongoing until September 21, 2025.

See more on Céleste Boursier- Mougenot’s Instagram.

Images © Copyright Céleste Boursier- Mougenot. Used with permission.

The post 200 Porcelain Floating Bowls Making Abstract Music appeared first on Moss and Fog.

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