Curated by Marie-Laure Bernadac, honorary chief curator and independent curator, in collaboration with Blanche de Lestrange, artistic director of Art Explora, Dans l'air, les machines volantes pays homage to the primary function of Hangar Y, offering a rich exploration of the history of aeronautics with around one hundred works and archives presented: poetic paintings, installations, monumental sculptures playing on the diversion of machines, contemplative or political videos, photographs, models and archives.

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"Echoing the foundation's dual mission of supporting creation in all its forms and creating bridges between disciplines in order to reach an ever-wider audience, Hangar Y, through its history, the beauty of its spaces and its park, allows for the presentation in an exceptional setting of artists already established on the international scene and emerging creators, while developing mediation tools that are open and accessible to all.
The aim of our programming is to allow everyone to be more than just a visitor; it's an active participant in what they see and feel through universal themes, appealing to all generations, and connected to the history and scientific origins of Hangar Y. We quickly wanted to delve into the exceptional history of this building, linked to ballooning, aeronautics, science and technology, progress, and the fascination with flight, and to explore this history through the perspectives of artists. Flight, whether successful or unsuccessful, the origin of the design of dream machines or machines of war, has shaped both collective and individual memories.
Conceived as a vast cabinet of curiosities, this rich exhibition blends contemporary and historical perspectives, from works of outsider art to objects from museum collections, including the archives of the Air and Space Museum, all revolving around this fascinating theme.

Blanche de Lestrange, artistic director of Art Explora

At the heart of this project is Hangar Y, a historic site that housed the first ballooning experiments. It was therefore essential to start with this history, to recall the origins of the architecture, and to evoke the Hangar through photographs, archives, and artifacts.
of the collection. But above all, it was essential to invite contemporary artists, the "flying madmen" who, in various ways, explore the theme of flight, from balloons to drones, airplanes to rockets. The exhibition thus recounts these adventures, those of the "builders of the sky" who have been charting new paths in space and connecting Earth to the cosmos and other planets since the first voyage to the Moon. Airplanes have a bad reputation today, as major polluters of the skies and consumers of energy with a high carbon footprint. They are also perceived, in times of war, as terrifying weapons that kill by dropping bombs. Our exhibition is not a story of this dark side of aeronautics, but rather a reminder of human ingenuity, the exploits of early navigators, the beauty of balloons and airplanes, and above all, the fascination they hold for artists. 

Marie-Laure Bernadac, curator of the exhibition

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The exhibition

Flying machines in the air

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The inaugural exhibition at Hangar Y, "In the Air, Flying Machines," is organized by Art Explora, invited by Hangar Y as part of its programme of patronage. It pays homage to the primary function of Hangar Y, by offering a rich exploration of the history of flying machines.

Starting from the universal human fascination with flight and the many inventions that made it possible to aspire to this goal throughout the 20th century, the curator of the exhibition Marie-Laure Bernadac, in collaboration with Blanche de Lestrange, artistic director of Art Explora, focused on how these devices for lifting and transporting in the air, and their transformations over time, have inspired artists.

Although the beginnings of these innovations can be found as early as the Renaissance in the sketches of Leonardo da Vinci, the advent of the first flying machines in the 19th century inspired the artistic avant-garde of the early 20th century as well as many contemporary or outsider artists.

The exhibition brings together more than sixty works covering a variety of movements over much of the 20th century. Taking its title from the book by aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont (Dans l'air, 1904), the exhibition presents a selection of poetic paintings, installations, monumental sculptures playing on the repurposing of machines, contemplative or political videos, photographs and models.
The exhibition presents 20th-century artists and inventors such as André-Victor Édouard Devambez, Léon Spilliaert, and Gustav Mesmer, alongside major figures in international art including Adel Abdessemed, Doug Aitken, Fiona Banner, Alighiero Boetti, Mircea Cantor, Ali Cherri, Sylvie Fleury, Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, Sophie Jung, Robert Longo, Ahmet Öğüt, Laure Prouvost, Shimabuku, and Roman Signer, not forgetting emblematic artists of Art Brut like André Robillard. An immersive and inclusive experience highlights their shared interest in the history, technology, form and aesthetics, function, and symbolism of these flying objects.

Echoing the works of art, the exhibition also presents unique objects and fascinating collections related to flying objects: airplanes, airships, parts, linked to the era of "Ballonmania" at the turn of the 19th century, wind tunnel models, collections from the Air and Space Museum, archive images… in order to pay tribute to the history of this flagship building of aerostation.

The featured artists

Adel Abdessemed (b. 1971), Doug Aitken (b. 1968), Kutluğ Ataman (b. 1961), Renaud Auguste-Dormeuil (b. 1968), Fiona Banner (b. 1966), Giuseppe Barocchi (b. 1971), Alighiero Boetti (1940-1994), Robert Breer (1926-2011), Lee Bul (b. 1964), Mircea Cantor (b. 1977), Ali Cherri (b. 1976), André-Victor Édouard Devambez (1867-1944), Latifa Echakhch (b. 1974), VR Farné, Sylvie Fleury (b. 1961), Jean-Louis Florentz (1947-2004), Giovanni Galli (b. 1954), Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige (b. 1969), Kiluanji Kia Henda (b. 1979), Sophie Jung (b. 1982), Rachel Labastie (b. 1978), Bertrand Lavier (b. 1949), Robert Longo (b. 1953), Vera Lutter (b. 1960), Ibrahim Mahama (b. 1987), Étienne-Jules Marey (1830-1904), Nelly Maurel (b. 1974), Georges Méliès (1861-1938), Jorge Méndez Blake (b. 1974), Gustav Mesmer (1903-1994), Ahmet Öğüt (b. 1981), Panamarenko (1940-2019), Lucien Pelen (b. 1978), Pierre Petit (1902-1990) and Raymonde Petit (1901-1990), Laure Prouvost (b. 1978), Mohammad Hadi Rahnaward (b. 1986), André Robillard (b. 1931), Hiraki Sawa (b. 1977), Shimabuku (b. 1969), Roman Signer (b. 1938), Jean Smilowski (1927-1989), Charles Spencelayh (1865-1958), Léon Spilliaert (1881-1946), Arthur Vanabelle (1922-2014), Joseph Vignes (1920-2007).

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The set design

The scenography for the inaugural exhibition is directed by the agency NC, renowned for its scenography for the Galerie Dior, the Musée Carnavalet, and Shocking! The Surrealist Worlds of Elsa Schiaparelli at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. The scenography for In the Air, Flying Machines plays on the obsessive nature of a cabinet of curiosities filled with flying objects, inviting visitors to discover the imagination of these brilliant artists.
NC Agency was founded by Nathalie Crinière. It explores all aspects of exhibition and museum experience design: whether permanent or temporary, large or small, heritage-focused or thematic, modest or spectacular, cultural or event-driven, the agency's signature style applies to a wide variety of projects. Its work extends to major cultural venues in France and abroad. Driven by intuition and curiosity, NC Agency creates exhibitions whose ambition in form and content makes each project unique.

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Around the exhibition

In pursuit of its commitment to bringing culture closer to the widest possible audience, Art Explora offers a programme comprehensive mediation and public engagement within Hangar Y.

A unique audio mediation journey with 12 audio capsules

Twelve listening stations (six for adults and six for children) located throughout the exhibition will allow visitors to explore a work in greater detail. Visitors are invited to scan a QR code placed near an artwork to independently access the audio content using their personal phones.
The audio capsules will also be available online on the Hangar Y website and the Art Explora Academy platform to prepare for or extend the visit.
These audio capsules invite listeners to take the time to observe the artworks and gain a deeper understanding of them. Through an unconventional and poetic narrative, this content will encourage reflection. Nuits Noires is collaborating with Art Explora on the production of these audio capsules.

Who hasn't dreamed of flying? The children's course

To create audio clips for children (ages 6-12), Art Explora invited students from the Monnet-Debussy (CM1) and Jules Ferry (CE1) schools in Meudon to share their questions and personal stories about the dream of flying, inspired by six artworks featured in the exhibition. Seven-year-old Auden, the very young podcaster behind "Auden's Podcasts," lends his voice to respond to the children's reactions and takes them on an adventure filled with discoveries and interactions.

Following in the footsteps of Elisa Deroche. The Adult Trail

For the adult section, Nuits Noires brings to life the figure of Elisa Deroche (1882-1919), a French aviator and the first woman in the world to obtain her pilot's license, guiding visitors on an imaginary journey inspired by six works in the exhibition. Her voice and her knowledge of the aeronautical world will illuminate the works with humor and educational insight, through various narrative formats (testimonials, archival material, etc.).

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Mediation for families

An accompanying booklet for families, produced for the exhibition "In the air, flying machines" at Hangar Y, is offered by Art Explora.
This fun and educational booklet, designed by graphic designer Sophie Cure, will be distributed free of charge to children aged 6 to 12. Conceived as a flight plan, it accompanies young visitors on a journey focused on discovering the exhibition.
The activities are offered as interactive stops in front of the artworks. Games involving investigation, drawing, and observation help children develop their visual awareness and understand the artists' creative process. Once the visit is over, the booklet is transformed into a paper airplane using a folding technique.

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Activities for associations and schools in Meudon

During the exhibition, from March 22 to September 10, 2023, dedicated tour routes are available for school groups and associations from Meudon.
Every Monday, classes from CP to 5ème are welcomed for a visit to the exhibition. Guided by a mediator from Hangar Y and accompanied by Art Explora volunteers, the children aged between 6 and 12 set off to discover this rich exhibition as if exploring a cabinet of curiosities.
Associations are invited on Wednesday mornings for an interactive tour for 6-12 year olds around the Hangar Y sculpture park. Led by a guide, this outdoor tour is based on the story of a new airship which, during a turbulent flight over the park, loses some of its passengers. Following a route through the heart of the sculpture park, the children become explorers and try to identify the lost passengers.