In the heart of the Grand Palais in Paris, Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto has transformed the north nave into a sensorial ecosystem with Nosso Barco Tambor Terra, a free installation open to the public until July 25, 2025. It’s not just a work to be observed, but a living organism to dive into, made of handwoven nets, spicy aromas, and ritual vibrations.

Suspended beneath the majestic restored glass roof, the cotton textile structures sway like soft bodies, gently floating above the visitors. Inside them, sacks filled with spices and bark release aromas that mingle with the air and invite you to slow down. It’s a contemporary temple where everything is meant to be touched, breathed in, and inhabited.

But it’s sound that truly brings the installation to life: drums from various parts of the world are activated during participatory performances, where the audience merges with the material and the vibration becomes a collective ritual. Neto, always attentive to the connection between humans and nature, builds a bridge here between ancestral spirituality and contemporary art. The very title — our drum-earth boat — evokes a journey through Amazonian traditions, colonial memory, and a present in need of reconnection.

The experience is rounded out by talks, workshops, and a small Brazilian café designed as a convivial space to extend the dialogue with the work. Nosso Barco Tambor Terra is thus an invitation to slow down, to rediscover a primal connection with the senses and with one another, in a Paris that becomes forest, drum, and refuge.