Initiated in 2004 when Lille was the European Capital of Culture, the Maisons Folie took root in former factories characteristic of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region and Belgium. As creation and exhibition spaces, they offer eclectic programming all year long.
The two Maisons Folie in Lille (Maison Folie Moulins and Maison Folie Wazemmes) are a new brand of cultural institution, created thanks to the energy generated by the 2004 festivities.
They are training facilities and meeting places for regional, national and even international artistic groups, associations and residents of the two districts concerned.
The facilities are multidisciplinary and were designed to support artists during creation residencies. These residencies can include accommodation for artists, thus allowing them direct contact with the city and the district.
The two masters of the houses (Jean-Baptiste Haquette in Moulins and Olivier Sergent in Wazemmes) have defined a direction that expertly accommodates the city’s cultural organizations.
These are no sacred temples of culture: experimentation and conviviality are both on the agenda. They are open to their surrounding area as they are to the world — a feature of interest to many outside observers because this openness constitutes a renewal of the relationship between a town’s inhabitants and its artists.
1/ Overall Presentation
A former brewery that closed in 1934, La Maison Folie has been restored by Baron & Louguet architects, who knew how to preserve the warm and intimate atmosphere particular to a “brewery” and to one’s idea of “home”.
The Maison Folie opened in 2004 in the context of Lille’s selection as European Capital of Culture. It is now a cultural centre that offers year-round programming that is multidisciplinary, thematic and original.
Fifteen hundred square metres, 10 rooms, 2 external courtyards and 2 flats are dedicated to artistic creation residencies and dissemination. Visiting artists come to Lille and the Moulins district from around the world. The leitmotiv: a shared spirit of coming together, along with new kinds of “brews”. Artists meet one another and meet their audiences through concerts, performances, workshops, screenings, debates and meals, all of which unfold in Maison Folie and on occasion in other locations in Moulins.
Supporting creation, fostering exchange, opening up to world cultures and integrating the dynamism of the area: a homemade recipe for success, and one to enjoy.
2/ Interview with Jean-Baptiste Haquette, Maison Folie Moulins Director
2.1 Birth of the Project
“The idea for Maison Folie sprang from the desire of the municipality to work differently by involving the population. This led to the creation of quite modest facilities in the region and euroregion, in the suburbs rather than the centre, and in converted spaces — locations that already had a history so that inhabitants would take to them fairly quickly".
"Through the Maisons Folie, our aim was to build facilities that could serve as lively centres for their district, as well as spaces dedicated to welcoming artists in residence”.
“The Moulins district is constantly evolving. It was interesting to establish a Maison Folie here so as to take part in its development. The idea was that, through its activities, this facility could enhance the life and profile of the area”.
2.2 The Maison Folie Moulins, a living place dedicated to artistic creation
“We work on interdisciplinary themes, with the aim of ensuring that the concept of ‘neighbourhood’ does not become detached from the concept of artistic expression. We bring together local artists, inhabitants, initiatives directed at residents and artistic projects ranging from the local to the international level”.
“We strive to be recognized as a place for all cultures, including popular culture — as a place where all audiences and practices come together”.
2.3 Public awareness
“We think hard about how to encourage people to frequent the location. This includes the way we communicate our work in order to reach a large audience in the city and throughout the district, in the interests of bringing audiences together”.
“We make a specific effort to work with that part of the population that does not have access to or training in culture. We undertake projects that enable them to discover the place and its activities. We build awareness of the fact that the place is dedicated as much to them as to other audiences. Thereafter, it is up to them to come back or not. The first step is essential”.
“Locally, we communicate by relying on local facilities. We organize encounters with artists in these centres and in the Maison Folie; we also offer guided tours, notably for children”.
2.4 Inhabitants as actors
“Another challenge is to know how to turn inhabitants into actors. Out of a desire to support and promote them, we provide technical assistance to many projects initiated by the district that we subsequently present at the Maison Folie, alongside the rest of our programme”.
“This year, the Journées Tous Voisins (“All Neighbours’ Days”) are monthly programmes involving performances and animations proposed by the Maison Folie jointly with artists or other organisations in the Moulins district. For example, in April, there is an opportunity to associate the Moulins carnival, initiated by the area’s social centres and schools, with the work of an African artist invited here by the Maison Folie. He will organize an event around Africa".
"Given that some people do not or cannot read the programme, we plan to have a town crier inform the neighbourhood of these events”.
“We also manage projects where local residents participate in the artist’s creative process. For instance, we worked with a storyteller who created and directed a show with a musician, based on word-on-the-street interviews with residents. This show was presented on the weekend and on a Wednesday afternoon in order to reach a specific audience that does not go out at night”.
“Each year, we commission an artistic project whose focus is the area, which implies meeting local residents. This has led to the creation of a travel diary”.
2.5 Work and influence of local, national and international scope
“We work to reinforce artistic partnerships around common projects with the area’s numerous cultural entities, in order to help the district to flourish”.
“We work with nine locations recognized by the Urban Community of Lille as defining facilities through a project named Lille Métropole en tous sens (“Lille, Métropole in every way”). This allows us to support artists and companies in their creative process and to help them circulate among those locations”.
"Our international influence comes from hosting renowned artists from around the world, from establishing an international puppet festival, from linking with Art Factories and Trans Europe Halles, and through partnerships and joint projects with the Halles de Schaerbeek in Brussels and the KulturBrauerei in Berlin. As far as we are concerned at Maison Folie, our influence cannot be dissociated from the notion of proximity; on the contrary, we treasure it. The future lies in exchanges, shared projects and reflections”.
1/ Presentation
The Maison Folie Wazemmes is a former textile mill restored by the Dutch agency Nox/Lars Spuybroek. Inside the old building, there are three floors with showrooms, a hostel, a kitchen and artists’ studios. As for the new space, it comprises a theatre.
The Maison Folie is a place for dissemination, for work and for encounters, where local residents, area associations and creators from around the world come together. It is dedicated to cultural democratisation, particularly by developing small art forms, training, workshops, debates, original audience-building strategies and new approaches to artistic practices.
LabforCulture is a partner initiative of the European Cultural Foundation. LabforCulture is grateful for the support provided by its funders.
