Nuit Blanche 2026: a mysterious plant-and-sound installation takes over the Mobilier National

For one magical night, the capital is taken over by contemporary art. From Saturday, June 6 to Sunday, June 7, 2026, Paris lights up for the new edition of the Nuit Blanche, a must-attend cultural rendezvous that nudges the curious to rediscover the city in a completely new light. Among this year’s most enigmatic stops, the Mobilier National promises to leave a lasting impression by turning its famed courtyard of modern architecture into a mesmerizing vegetal and sonic theater.

• To be read
• This week's top picks in Paris and Île-de-France, July 20–26, 2026.

For this night that feels outside time, the Mobilier national presents the transdisciplinary installation "ORA" in the Perret Courtyard. The concept? Open a poetic crack in the concrete to reconnect the place with its past. The site is, in fact, built on the former vanished gardens of the Manufacture des Gobelins, today buried beneath modernist architecture.

For those who haven’t yet discovered this unique venue in the 13th arrondissement, the Mobilier National is a genuine French institution. Tracing its roots to the Garde-Meuble de la Couronne, established under Louis XIV, its mission is to furnish the Republic’s grand sites (from the Élysée Palace to the ministries) and to restore rare pieces of furniture.

It's also an incredible hub for creativity, home to exceptional textile workshops (the Gobelins, Beauvais, and Savonnerie manufactories). Its main site, where the event takes place, is itself a heritage masterpiece: a reinforced-concrete building from the 1930s by acclaimed architect Auguste Perret, blending classic rigor with modernist flair.

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