Nantes is one of the most attractive French cities, partly because it is so vibrant in a cultural sense. However, it has not always been this way. In the late 80s, the city was severely affected by de-industrialisation: the shipyards closed down, the economy was stagnant, and the city was essentially dormant. The Mayor of Nantes, Jean-Marc AYRAULT, inherited a dull city at the beginning of his first term of office in 1989. He decided to bet on culture.
As a result, Nantes saw the birth of Les Allumés festival, propelled by Jean BLAISE and involving festivities in unconventional places in the city, as well as la Folle Journée, created by René MARTIN in 1995, which established a presence for classical music in Nantes and, indeed, in the whole of the Region from then on. The Compagnie Royal de Luxe followed, with events of dramatic dimension accessible to all residents of Nantes and noted for exposing different audiences to culture. So it is that every inhabitant of the metropolitan area, young and old, can remember the Giants, the Sultan’s Travel and, more recently, the Elephant.
- La Folle Journée de Nantes: an outstanding classical music festival, relatively affordable, with more than 230 concerts, 1800 artists and 121,000 spectators. As a result of its success, the event has now been exported to Bilbao, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro.
- Estuaire Nantes – Saint Nazaire: a biennale of contemporary art that focuses on the river and enlivens the banks of the Loire in the heart of the metropolitan area of Nantes-Saint-Nazaire Métropole. Estuaire plays a role in developing the identity of a metropolitan area that hopes to become the economic and cultural hub of France’s Great West. Perennial or transient, created in situ, in cities or ports, in or on the water, visible from the banks or from the river, the works of art allow us to discover a fascinating estuary, to learn something of its heritage and of landscapes that range from fragile game reserves to giant industrial buildings. Of course, great names of contemporary art have come to the estuary, but what is most memorable about Estuary (the event) is how it brings the area’s inhabitants into contact with art — how they welcome new works into their midst, participate in their installation and experience powerful moments. Moreover, a range of local artists, associations and students actively participated in the first edition. (Listen to an interview with Jean Blaise in June 2006 for Fragil magazine)
- The street performances by the Compagnie Royal de Luxe have left their mark on people of all generations in Nantes, with strolling performers who attracted tens of thousands of people keen to follow the adventures of the Giants, the visit of the Sultan of India and, recently, the Révolte des Mannequins ( “The Mannequins’ Revolt”) in the shop windows of Nantes.
- Le Lieu Unique ( “The Unique Place”): Building from its industrial heritage and past grandeur, the city of Nantes has revived several industrial wastelands. In the early 2000s, the LU biscuit factories, producer of the renowned petits beurres biscuits, became le Lieu Unique, Nantes’s national stage. Restored by architect Patrick Bouchain, the space combines different living areas (a bar, a restaurant, a bookstore, a day-care centre, a hammam imitating the model of the Maison folie Wazemmes in Lille, exhibition spaces and a modular room dedicated to performing art). At the helm of this enterprise, where the arts in all their forms come together, is Jean Blaise who, with his curly blond hair and air of mischief, is well-known for having directed numerous festivals, including Les Allumés, Estuaire Nantes – Saint Nazaire, and the first edition of les Nuits Blanches in Paris.
Situated a stone’s throw from the historical centre of the city, the island of Nantes presents a rare opportunity among French and European cities. This atypical venue was one of the largest wastelands inside a metropolitan area in Europe. With the development of new activities, notably an arts campus and innovative cultural venues, Nantes is poised to assume an international dimension.
- Les Machines de l’île ( “The Machines on the Island”): on the island, emanating from the old ships of the Dubigeon shipyards, we spy strange creatures from the imagination of François Delarozière and Pierre Oréfice’s, somewhere at the crossroads between Jules Verne’s “imaginary worlds”, Leonardo Da Vinci’s mechanical universe and Nantes’s industrial history. A giant elephant wanders around the tip of the island, a new esplanade with beaches, a garden on the banks of the Loire and another exotic garden. Other attractions have take root: the Manège des Mondes marins ( “Merry-go-round of the Marine World”) and the Arbre aux hérons ( “The Heron Tree”). This stunning spot gives Nantes a reputation as an innovative city and enhances its influence at the international level. However, it would be overly simplistic to characterise this as “branding.” Les Machines de l’île encourages the participation of various building trades, as well as numerous companies that would not otherwise have worked with the cultural sector.
- La Fabrique project: Directly next to the Machines de l’île there is a new cultural space dedicated to contemporary music, visual and digital arts, and emerging forms. The whole installation includes broadcast studios for contemporary music, practice studios, and common spaces to facilitate new initiatives and experimentation. The creation of La Fabrique must be understood in the context of an amalgamated city that is home to a whole network of small companies or creative and cultural associations. Nantes’s approach is to attract and develop cultural enterprise in order to bring the community together. The first to sign onto this project are the Olympic and Trempolino, two major contemporary music facilities.
- The Olympic is Nantes’s concert hall. Located in an old neighbourhood cinema, it has a club atmosphere and hosts the cream of current musical trends. The Olympic reflects the intermingling of art forms in the realm of multimedia and digital arts, and their links to contemporary music. The Festival Scopitone anticipated what La Fabrique would be when it opened.
- Trempolino builds the contemporary music network in the metropolitan area of Nantes and is active in the Région des Pays de la Loire. Trempolino offers a suite of services for amateur and professional musical disciplines alike.
La Fabrique, along with the Machines de l’île or the Estuaire biennale of contemporary art, are links in a chain. Nantes now engages in the realm of culture, with culture seen as a productive force. Cultural offerings are rich and diverse and pricing policies allow broad access.
Nantes is a fashionable city that is among the great cultural metropolises of Europe. Of course, it owes its reputation to various landmark events, not to mention a range of cultural players that work close to the ground. Thanks to their involvement, Nantes is a great place to live. Many of them are reintroducing mass education. They act as real social and cultural activists in most of Nantes’ working-class neighbourhoods. Here are some of them:
- Tissé Métisse: at the beginning of every winter, the festival offers a great show, combining intercultural debates, concerts and performances by highly committed, prinicipled artists. The festival enjoys great success and attracts young people, students, neighbourhood youth, the elderly, the unemployed, the inquisitive, families, and bohemians who don’t usually go to cultural spaces. This event is made possible thanks to the commitment and energy of many activists throughout the year.
- CitéMondeis a laboratory of artistic expression that allows young people from the area, age 12 to 18, to try their hand at Rap, R’n’B, and world music. Writing, improvisation, composition and MAO workshops meet with phenomenal success.
- Rapacité offers hip-hop workshops for young people in the Dervallières district.
- The Hip Opsession festival, organized by PickUp Production, is the event that brings together all facets of the hip-hop scene in Nantes. The association promotes citizenship engagement and values.
- Mire and APO33 are equally dedicated to social activism in neighbourhoods. Radio workshops, sound and visual mapping are undertaken with the residents, who are beginning to get used to these experimental approaches. Ping is involved in multimedia and the emerging use of new tools and networks, in tandem with neighbourhood youth. Ping also organizes the Libre festival.
It would not be possible to name every association and cultural player, given the great number who produce diverse and rewarding events in the metropolitan area. Many independent media outlets in Nantes make it possible to document this abundance: Wik city guide, Fragil magazine, the Pulsomatic calendar, radio stations Jet FM and Prun’… A myriad of media outlets covering all cultural and social news and raising the profile of all initiatives and talents.
LabforCulture is a partner initiative of the European Cultural Foundation. LabforCulture is grateful for the support provided by its funders.