20000 Leagues Under the Street
Nothing can really prepare anyone for the first experience of the Arts et Métiers Metro station on Line 11 in Paris, it’s like no other you will see!
Think of a glistening copper submarine, a Nautilus you could say, under the streets of Paris.
The station which opened in 1904, was reimagined in 1994, to coincide with the bicentenary of the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers. The platforms were redesigned by the Belgian comic artist François Schuiten, in a steampunk style, recalling the science fiction works of Jules Verne.
The platforms are punctuated by a series of ‘portholes’ which display small ‘scenographies’, depicting the armillary sphere, the Telstar satellite, and even the water wheel, which form part of the museum’s collections.