Meriem Bennani: Sole Crushing

Curator: Elsa Coustou

For her solo exhibition at Lafayette Anticipations, Meriem Bennani presents a new kind of orchestra—part symphony, part riot—that transforms the Fondation into a vast sound box.

Spread across the building’s floors, the sound installation Sole Crushing features over a hundred flip-flops performing a musical composition. Animated and percussive, the footwear strikes different surfaces with its soles, producing an unexpected palette of sounds.

Bennani explores the dynamics of togetherness and the individual’s place within a community. Acting as chorus or soloists, in unison or in dialogue, these bodiless flip-flops conjure the individuals that form a moving crowd—be it in a protest, a stadium, or a dakka marrakchia ceremony. The ordinary clap of a flip-flop, once multiplied, gathers into a single pulse: the rhythm of a force greater than the individual.

For this reimagining of a work first shown in the exhibition “For My Best Family” at Fondazione Prada in 2024–25, the artist has invited Reda Senhaji (Cheb Runner) to compose a new soundtrack and devised a site-specific installation for Lafayette Anticipations.