On July 9 at 8 p.m., Lydie Arickx unveils Le Souffle ("The Breath"), a monumental coral suspended 7 meters high in the nave of the Church of Saint-Eustache in Paris.

Cut from aluminum with the delicacy of lace, this red, tree-like form evokes at once deep-sea coral, the Tree of Life, a leaf, and a heart.

A symbol of both the richness and the vulnerability of marine ecosystems, coral here becomes the image of a threatened nature, as well as that of a resilient and fertile life force.

In dialogue with the architecture of Saint-Eustache, Le Souffle unfolds like a vast stained-glass window, transforming the space with every shift in light.

Between sky and sea, matter and spirituality, the work invites a meditation on the fragility of living things and the strength of their vital impulse.

"A monumental 7-meter coral suspended in the great nave of Saint-Eustache — this is Lydie Arickx's spectacular proposal: a powerful vital surge radiating throughout the church, a breath of life that is fragile, threatened, yet intensely present, like a delicate membrane between the visible and the invisible, matter and spirit."

- Yannick Mercoyrol

Between shadow and light, between fragility and elevation, it opens a shared space for meditation, in intimate dialogue with the place and its history, in a powerful surge radiating through the space, intensely present, like a delicate membrane between the visible and the invisible, matter and spirit.

Founded in 2013 by Patrice Lucas and Aurélie Deguest, the Fondation Loo & Lou for contemporary art supports projects that foster encounters with contemporary creation, encourage the transmission of knowledge, and help strengthen bonds between individuals through art.