Staircase for Megève

Staircase located in the The Bodhi Spa

After visiting Magic Megève when it was still a building site, Mike Nelson conceived a staircase connecting the three floors of the Annexe. He created a very powerful work, yet characterised by an impressive simplicity.

Mike’s idea is inspired in particular by two major works of his, created practically simultaneously in 2014, at the Palais de Tokyo (Paris) and the Kunsthalle Münster (Münster). Mike Nelson, as per his practice, was very much involved, even physically, in the realisation of the project, both in the preliminary stages of dialogue with architects and engineers, and in the actual construction of the ‘sculpture’ designed for the space.

After brainstorming several ideas and solutions to realise a staircase that would be both a sculpture respecting the artist’s wishes and a functional part of the chalet, the staircase was built by constructing a formwork in seasoned spruce, into which a precise cement mix was cast. In a second step, threaded rods and a steel grid structure were inserted on the sides of the staircase, and around it, to create a sense of upward projection.

The piece also accentuates an illusory sense of solidity against the skeleton of the structure. The sense of weightlessness and buoyancy has been achieved by using a juxtaposition which may be reminiscent of Piranesi’s engravings.