video transcript

Big shoes to fill - even for Marie Antoinette. Versailles has been transformed with giant sculptures made from everyday objects. The stilettos are stainless steel pots. And then there are hearts made of disposable cutlery. The artist behind the installations is Joana Vasconcelos who says she tried to both challenge and work with the palace's opulence. SOUNDBITE: Portuguese artist, Joana Vasconcelos, saying (English): "My goal was to be part of it naturally. But with contemporary speech, contemporary textiles and materials of today, but integrating the space." A pink helicopter and colorful wigs are in honor of Antoinette's eye for luxury . But the artist says the exhibition is not just for the doomed French queen, but for all the women who lived in the palace. Vasconcelos even manages to soften the severe Battle Gallery with three textile pieces. Which she says proves there is a place for modern works in a historic setting. SOUNDBITE: Portuguese artist, Joana Vasconcelos, saying (French): "As an artist, I felt we needed to bring more contemporary art here to show that Versailles is alive, and that it is a place which can talk about contemporary issues, not just past ones." The exhibition can be viewed in Versailles' palace and gardens until the end of September. Tara Cleary, Reuters.