BEFFROIS DE LA CULTURE - ecoc-doc-athens

(I)
INTERMITTENTS
(CONTRACT WORKERS IN ENTERTAINMENT)
It is hard to determine the exact number of intermittents
who worked for Lille 2004’s partners on an
associated project. One thing is certain, that in
2004 alone, the association Lille Horizon 2004
employed 485 intermittents. This happened at a
time of turmoil, the summer of 2003 when their
rights were under review. The scale of production
and the diversity of projects undertaken in the context
of the European Capital of Culture demonstrates,
as if it was necessary, the importance of the
artist’s rights and the need to seriously reconsider
the way culture is financed. Despite this, not a single
event was disrupted. Artists and intermittents
participated in culture forums (>Colloques) initiated
by Martine Aubry in the autumn of 2004.
(J)
JEU (GAMES)
A vous de jouer (Your turn to play) is the title of an
exhibition held at the Forum des Sciences in
Villeneuve d’Ascq. Game on, created by the London
Barbican and the Museum of Scotland, comes to
France for the first time. Traditional games are the
order of the day in the town of Wattrelos (La ville du
jeu). The Bazato collective takes a travelling exhibition
of innovative game concepts to Roubaix, Lille
and Maubeuge. Next player shoot again….
Peter Greenaway’s installation in Eglise Sainte-Marie Madeleine
JONES (BILL T)
One of the greatest contemporary choreographers,
and virtually a godfather to Lille 2004. Bill T Jones
is a central figure in the Monde Parallèle New Y ork
in December 2003, the first of thirty monde parallèle
events in 2004. Also the first artist to tread the
boards of Lille’s «new» opera house.
JUMPER
Lille 2004’s mascot, this wondrous Tom Thumb
type character wears seven league boots. He can be
spotted everywhere, and is known to take some
unauthorized detours. He is also seen painted on
the faces of participants in the grand finale.
Adopted by inhabitants of planet Lille 2004, he will
doubtless be the lasting symbol of the cultural project.
The Jumper was dreamt up by Designlab, graphic
designers based in Brussels.
(K )
KUSAMA YAYOI
The psychedelic icon of Flower Power Y ayoi K usama
gives Lille a lasting métamorphose. A pacifist’s
dream planted in the midst of the speed rings
between Lille’s two railway stations, and a signal to
visitors that there’s something going on in Lille.
(L)
LAND ART
Jacques Simon, the renowned landscape artist,
transforms the Parc de la Deû le (>Aménagements).
A successful experiment in Land Art happily combines
the virtues of a breath of fresh air with artistic
invention. A Sunday in the countryside, what
could be better
LIEUX (V ENUES)
In addition to the Tri Postal and the Barnum des
Postes, Lille 2004 venues played host to projects
directly produced by the Association Lille Horizon
2004, such as «Le 2004 à Euralille» (in the middle
of a shopping centre!), the Eglise Sainte Marie-
Madeleine (a converted church) and the two Maison
Folies in Lille. A host of unusual or temporary
installations, staffed by a team of around a hundred
hospitality and welcoming agents led by Fabrice
Bongiorni.
LITTÉRATURE (LITERATURE)
Under the leadership of Kathrin Muller the literary
project is defined by the commissioning of eight
short stories. Endorsed by Marie Desplechin, the
Migrations novellas were distributed free of charge
in Lille 2004 venues and in the regions’s railway
stations.
The notion of mobility is important to the project,
one which Jacques Bonnaffé serves in a tasty sauce
with his Banquet du faisan, in seven towns of the
region.
Local bookshops are actively involved all year,
organizing meetings and competitions. The Conseil
Général du Nord puts on a festival based on the
Villa du Mont Noir, where European authors come to
work.
Finally, the last Monde Parallèle of the year, shared
with Genoa, is dedicated to the written word.
(M)
MAISONS FOLIE
The ongoing heritage of Lille 2004. Twelve new venues
across the Lille 2004 territory (Nord/Pas-de-
Calais, Belgique), in original settings, converted
factories or sites of local patrimony. They are festive
venues which bring artists and local residents
together. Creation is a firm priority, with the most
suitable equipment provided. These facilities are
intended for future use, and, now, in 2005, they are
a symbol of Lille 2004. Beyond their specific characteristics,
they represent several fundamental
objectives: the desire to take away the sacred aura
of existing temples of culture, to explore the
crossover potential of disciplines, and to encourage
the sense of community with local residents.
Mostly open by the beginning of the second Lille
2004 season, they are immediately met by the
curiosity of the public, recording some notable successes.
A rich and promising year. The post-2004
period starts now, with no respite, in the Maisons
Folie. To be continued… See list o f Mo n des
Pa ra llè les in Fren c h versio n .
MÉDIAS (MEDIA COV ERAGE)
In 2004, 3,500 journalists were received by the
teams led by Olivier Célarié (in Lille) and Bodo and
Claudine Colin (in Paris).
More than 1,500 radio and TV reports were made.
The written press was very present. The local press
wrote over 5,000 articles and dedicated special
supplements to the event… All national French
newspapers consecrated column space to Lille
2004 (over 1,000 articles written).
See the details of media coverage (TV, radio, newspapers,
magazines) in French version
Dead Chickens’s mechanical creatures in T ourcoing
METAMORPHOSES
The figurehead of Lille 2004, and a powerful concept:
to give the city (its streets and buildings) to
the artists. The invention of an urban transformation
with unusual installations, such as modern chiming
clocks and lighting displays. A hanging forest (>), a
pink railway station (Patrick Jouin and Hervé
Descottes), an astroport for passing spaceships
(Jean-Claude Mézières), a luminous serpent (Daniel
Buren), kinetic projections in the underground
metro (Bernard Godbille and Pierre Semal), an
olfactory labyrinth (Serge Lutens), a «dream cube»
(Walter van Beirendonck), an authentic reconstruction
of a Chinese tea pavillion, Franç ois
Azambourg’s micro-restaurant, Franç ois Boucq’s
source d’abondance, a bamboo jungle (Bambuco), a
menagerie of mechanical monsters Hannes Heiner
and Dead Chickens)…
The métamorphoses put visitors straight into the
spirit of Lille 2004. Unveiled a few days before the
official opening of the European Capital of Culture,
these urban metamorphoses set the tone of the following
events. The different seasons take them to
different parts of the region. They are among the
most memorable features of the 2004 event.
The métamorphoses will remain THE hallmark of
Lille 2004.
MEXIQUE (MEX ICO)
The major exhibition Mexique-Europe, allers-retours
set the tone for a third season in which Mexican art
featured strongly. Works by Diego Rivera, Frida
K ahlo, José-Clemente Orozco and Hervé di Rosa are
displayed.
MONDES PARALLELES
The backbone of Lille 2004: thirty-two themed
weekends (New York, Genoa, Japan, Africa, the
Soup Festival, Great Black Music, Montreal,
Poland, l’Eau Bleue (Blue Water)… There’s no
peace for the wicked with a continuous line-up of
exhibitions, shows, performances, free concerts and
nights at the Tri Postal. A concentrated, audacious
programme, with a blend of well-known and new
talent on view. These Mondes Parallèles reinvent
Lille 2004 almost every week, setting quite a pace!
MUSIQUE (MUSIC)
Jean-Claude Casadesus and the Orchestre national
de Lille open the ball (>Opening!), explore the
beauty of piano music in an amazing Monde
Parallèle and pay hommage to Rubens and Boulez.
Respects are also paid to America’s minimalist
composers, in a Monde Parallèle Maximal where we
come across Steve Reich and Terry Riley, as well as
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