A conversation between Guillaume Aubry and Benjamin Laugier to mark the official opening of Regulus

To mark the official opening of Regulus at Villa Paloma, Guillaume Aubry, the artist and architect, will be talking to Benjamin Laugier, the project’s curator and Head of Public Engagement at NMNM.

For Regulus, Guillaume Aubry designed a heliotropic pavilion. He followed the original lines of the old Villa Paloma garden, sketched out in 1913 by the landscape architect Octave Godard, a student of Édouard André. The lines repeat and complement the design, reconstructing the garden’s historical perspective of pathways and small squares. The perfectly situated semi-circular sculpture faces directly south and follows the sun’s path all day long. A solar oven in the very centre of the piece captures the sun’s rays and can be used to heat, cook, boil and warm drinks and snacks, which are occasionally served there. The pavilion is completed by a large counter made entirely of solid bricks and assembled according to a geometric layout. The furniture, selected by Guillaume Aubry, is by the Atelier Thomas Serruys, Bruges, Belgium. Regulus is not the museum’s café, nor a cocktail bar, and not even an agora – but a little of all of these at once.