Stepping out of the Gare du Nord on a gray morning, looking for a taxi, we found ourselves staring at a small building apparently melting into the sidewalk. It was a little hard to take in, especially after an overnight flight and considering that it it does look like a real building.
Reading the nearby information panel, we found that it’s the work of Argentine artist Leandro Erlich, and that melting is exactly the point. It was installed at the time of the Paris climate change conference, and was intended to remind us that there are effects on what we build and how we live. The fact that it is so much in the same style as the building across the street only emphasizes the point.
It’s not the only new installation at Gare du Nord; Richard Texier’s Angel Bear is there, too, and also as a reminder of climate change. The artist’s design began with thoughts about the disappearing habitat of polar bears.
