As we bid adieu to our cruise of French wine regions, we stop in Bordeaux for an extraordinary excursion to the world's largest digital arts centre, Les Bassins des Lumières. These immersive “pools of light” are nothing short of dazzling.

We find ourselves inside a repurposed submarine base, where Les Bassins des Lumières offers five current programs. In Dali: The Endless Enigma, Pink Floyd's legendary music sets the mood for his twelve phases of artwork, with selections from Salvador Dali's 1,500 paintings. A shorter presentation, Gaudi: Architect of the Imaginary visits Antoni Gaudi's World Heritage creations.

In cool theatre darkness, we stroll a handrailed quay. Around us, whirling colours brighten concrete walls and shimmer on basin waters. Flamenco guitars enliven our footsteps.

Inside a well-lit corridor, posters recount this naval facility's construction during Germany's occupation of France and its post-war transformation. Photos show some of the 6,500 workers who built this WWII structure. Four 110-metre-long channels were excavated; high walls were built around them to support its roof. This camouflaged, reinforced concrete structure withstood bombing. Other photos picture Italian, and later German submarines docked here, sometimes four per basin.

Since the 1960's, artists, filmmakers and musicians have been attracted to the imagery capabilities and heightened sound in the massive space. In 2020, Culturespaces first bathed every surface in vibrant elegance. Ninety projectors covered 12,000 square metres of area with Paul Klee: Painting the Music. Building on its initial success the following year, Monet, Renoir, Chagall: Travel in the Mediterranean bedazzled growing audiences. In 2022, Venice: From Canaletto to Monet wowed over 650,000 visitors.

Along a wide deck, we walk past three other basins on our way to the far corner. Behind concrete bleachers, the 220-square-metre Cube provides two short programs. The Other Garden immerses viewers into the wonder and poetry of nature. Infinite Horizons conducts a journey that defies rules of perspective.

A submarine's dramatic image soon projects onto one basin's entrance. A zany egg replaces the menacing U-boat. The white egg spirals off through darkness, settles ... and hatches a mustachioed Salvador Dali!

Viewers plunge next into the sandstorm of Trilogy of the Desert: Mirage. Pink Floyd's Shine on You Crazy Diamond signals emergence into Dali's early life. A series of paintings reveals a youthful Dali, his beloved fishing village Cadaqués, and the dreamlike Spanish coastline. His younger sister's portraits also materialize; Anna Maria remained his model for nine years.

New imagery ushers us into a theatre in neighbouring Figueres. His brilliantly designed sets and costumes float between animated red velvet curtains. Anna Maria poses centre stage.

Read more about our visit to Les Bassins des Lumières.

This story has been edited and condensed for clarity. Read the original version in the Fall/Winter 2023 edition of driver magazine.

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