Olympic Cauldron Paris 2024

"This absolutely unique Cauldron represents all the spirit I wanted to give to the Olympic and Paralympic objects. Light, magical and unifying, it will be a beacon in the night and a sun within reach during the day. The fire that burns in it will be made of light and water, like a cool oasis in the heart of summer. I created the Torch, the Relay cauldron and the Olympic Cauldron as three chapters in the same story. The Cauldron is the epilogue and the ultimate symbol of that story. Light, magical and unifying..." ML
Monumental, poetic, yet radically contemporary and infused with technology, this creation is an ode to lightness. It required meticulous weight optimization for every element and technical component. Constructed and assembled around a machined and anodized aluminum structure, the flame-ring incorporates the codes and techniques of aeronautics. The 22-meter diameter helium-filled balloon boasts a colossal traction capacity equivalent to nearly 5 tons, yet every gram saved ensures a stable flight and a graceful ascent towards the sky.
Linked by a common metallic hue - created from the fusion of gold, silver and bronze medals - the Torch, the Relay Cauldron and the Olympic Cauldron were designed by Mathieu Lehanneur to be chapters of the same story: the epic journey of the Olympic Flame. The sacred fire was first lit from the rays of the sun in Olympia, and then passed on with the Torch across thousands of kilometers over roadways, oceans and mountains. In each stopover towns, the Relay Cauldron, which acts as a gathering point, was set alight. Arriving at its destination in the heart of Paris, the flame carried by the Olympic Cauldron makes its way back into the sky to become an Olympic star over Paris, as if returning to its original source.