25. Lille, France
By the time I left Rotterdam, I was on my last legs... I was physically exhausted following my visit to 22 cities in 10 countries. I’d flown in 24 planes, travelled on 21 trains and been hither and thither on countless trams, metros and buses. I must’ve also walked around 100 kilometres since May... Am I complaining? What do you think? I’d do it all again tomorrow. And for those of you who know me well... no mention of taxis??? I’ve actually got quite good at the public transport thing... What’s more, I’ve enjoyed it. I can count the number of taxis I’ve taken on one hand!
Lille and Glasgow are always held as the pinnacle of success whenever Cultural Capitals are discussed. Their year of culture heralded the beginning of the cities’ reinvention and regeneration. So I looked forward to discovering what Lille’s secret of success is and moire importantly (to my area of research) how the small/medium arts sector was involved and how organisations have benefited since.
Perhaps Lille’s success is simply down to its commitment to involving local people at all levels. From the beginning of the year Lille was a Cultural Capital for the people. Unlike most (possibly every) other Cultural Capitals, where it is the ‘great and the good’, the ‘ViPs’ that attend the launch and the prestigious events, Lille invited its citizens to the launch event. 600,000 attended.
I met with a number of people who had been part of the 2004 team and they believed that another success factor was because Lille 4004 worked directly with artists and that there were two levels of operation: international events and local participation: the two complemented one another.
2004 continued to be a huge success for the city, turning its fortunes around. No longer was it considered as the Crewe of northern France, where “the only reason to stop in Lille was to catch a connecting train”. The only problem that Lille had it seems, was how to capitalise on the enormous success of the year. The answer is Lille 3000 (long term vision, indeed!). Lille 3000 is an ongoing programme of events and activities. There is no self imposed pressure to run a festival every year or every two years. In 2006 the theme for the city was India; the ‘Bombayers of Lille’ event attracted 1 million visits. The next 3000 year is 2009 which will celebrate Eastern Europe. The volunteer programme for 2004 was considered to be one of the successes of the year. The city now boasts double the number of volunteers and includes many of those from 2004.
A major programme of 2004, celebrated by the city council, the Lille 3000 team and the Cultural Capitals experts, was the establishing of the culture centres called Maison de Folie. Disused factories and similar buildings in and around Lille were renovated and founded by the city council. They programme exhibitions, dance, theatre and provide residencies for artists. The staff are employed by the council and 100% of the funding to run each of them is from the council. This was not intended but has become the reality. Since 2004 two have closed. I visited one and was impressed by the enthusiasm and energy of the director, and of the role that the Maison de Folie are intended to play.
Because of the impact of culture on the city, the council made a commitment to increase budgets for culture in 2005 by 10%.
Now to the small to medium sized arts community... Firstly, they have not received any of the 10% increase in funding; they believe the additional funding was directed to the Maison de Folie and to the larger institutions - Théâtre du Nord for example.
There are around 35 professional small scale theatre companies in Lille and the two neighbouring cities; a total of 100 in the entire region. The majority had no connection with 2004; there was little communication and a feeling that Lille 2004 tried to impose its ideas onto the companies. Some were angered by the whole event, saw it as an opportunity only for the larger organisations and were frustrated that so much work was imported.
There is belief that for the arts sector, 2004 was a missed opportunity. There was no investment in the infrastructure and it would seem that it had no positive impact on the small to medium arts sector - “it’s as if it never happened”. Some expressed disappointment that 2004 was for the tourists and for people outside the city, not for the people who lived in the city. This said, there was agreement that 2004 focused the spotlight on Lille; that Lille 3000 is a real and tangible legacy and that this bodes well for the future of the city, including the arts community.
There are also concerns from artists, arts organisations and theatre companies that the Maison de Folie, whilst a good idea for engaging with communities in 2004, are now “a waste of money, sucking in too much public funding”, and that they are “dangerous for the small scale theatre companies” as they don’t have the funding to pay professional fees for visiting companies. They were initiated as places where artists could meet, but it would appear they don’t fulfil this function.
Although they are pleased that disused buildings were renovated, one could ask whether this was at the expense of the established small and medium sized theatres and organisations in the region. I visited five such places: theatres, artists centres, a school for professional actors. None had received funding to develop their spaces. One was so in need of renovation that it cannot produce its own work in the theatre and instead can only tour. I asked the question repeatedly, and it was one that was voiced on numerous occasions: Why did Lille Ltd invest in new spaces rather than strengthen what already existed?
Of the organisations I visited, two made a real impact on me: La Malterie and Théâtre de Licorne. The former is a converted brewery and is in on the outskirts of the city. The organisation doesn’t have much connection with local community but is accepted as part of it. The organisation provides artists’ studios (there are 30); a rehearsal studio for artists to do research and development (with no pressure to produce; much like the Jude Kelly Metal project in London and Liverpool). It also provides a professional development service for artists, not unlike that at Hope Street. In all, there are 100-150 artists based at La Malterie at any one time.
Théâtre de Licorne is a stone’s throw from Maison de Folie in Wazemme. The space was steeped in history, its architect the same as the designer of the Eiffel Tower. The Artistic Director was an inspirational character, passionate about the theatre and the work produced by her company. She told me that since 2004 touring internationally has become less difficult as the company can carry the ‘Lille 2004’ brand, and she stressed that Cultural Capitals are not just about urban regeneration and changing the face of the city, they are about developing the artists and the artistic producers of the city. I agree 100%. For if we are not strengthened, who will facilitate the engagement of vulnerable people and excluded communities in arts and cultural activities? The politicians? The policy makers? The social services? I don’t think so.
Lille and Glasgow are always held as the pinnacle of success whenever Cultural Capitals are discussed. Their year of culture heralded the beginning of the cities’ reinvention and regeneration. So I looked forward to discovering what Lille’s secret of success is and moire importantly (to my area of research) how the small/medium arts sector was involved and how organisations have benefited since.
Perhaps Lille’s success is simply down to its commitment to involving local people at all levels. From the beginning of the year Lille was a Cultural Capital for the people. Unlike most (possibly every) other Cultural Capitals, where it is the ‘great and the good’, the ‘ViPs’ that attend the launch and the prestigious events, Lille invited its citizens to the launch event. 600,000 attended.
I met with a number of people who had been part of the 2004 team and they believed that another success factor was because Lille 4004 worked directly with artists and that there were two levels of operation: international events and local participation: the two complemented one another.
2004 continued to be a huge success for the city, turning its fortunes around. No longer was it considered as the Crewe of northern France, where “the only reason to stop in Lille was to catch a connecting train”. The only problem that Lille had it seems, was how to capitalise on the enormous success of the year. The answer is Lille 3000 (long term vision, indeed!). Lille 3000 is an ongoing programme of events and activities. There is no self imposed pressure to run a festival every year or every two years. In 2006 the theme for the city was India; the ‘Bombayers of Lille’ event attracted 1 million visits. The next 3000 year is 2009 which will celebrate Eastern Europe. The volunteer programme for 2004 was considered to be one of the successes of the year. The city now boasts double the number of volunteers and includes many of those from 2004.
A major programme of 2004, celebrated by the city council, the Lille 3000 team and the Cultural Capitals experts, was the establishing of the culture centres called Maison de Folie. Disused factories and similar buildings in and around Lille were renovated and founded by the city council. They programme exhibitions, dance, theatre and provide residencies for artists. The staff are employed by the council and 100% of the funding to run each of them is from the council. This was not intended but has become the reality. Since 2004 two have closed. I visited one and was impressed by the enthusiasm and energy of the director, and of the role that the Maison de Folie are intended to play.
Because of the impact of culture on the city, the council made a commitment to increase budgets for culture in 2005 by 10%.
Now to the small to medium sized arts community... Firstly, they have not received any of the 10% increase in funding; they believe the additional funding was directed to the Maison de Folie and to the larger institutions - Théâtre du Nord for example.
There are around 35 professional small scale theatre companies in Lille and the two neighbouring cities; a total of 100 in the entire region. The majority had no connection with 2004; there was little communication and a feeling that Lille 2004 tried to impose its ideas onto the companies. Some were angered by the whole event, saw it as an opportunity only for the larger organisations and were frustrated that so much work was imported.
There is belief that for the arts sector, 2004 was a missed opportunity. There was no investment in the infrastructure and it would seem that it had no positive impact on the small to medium arts sector - “it’s as if it never happened”. Some expressed disappointment that 2004 was for the tourists and for people outside the city, not for the people who lived in the city. This said, there was agreement that 2004 focused the spotlight on Lille; that Lille 3000 is a real and tangible legacy and that this bodes well for the future of the city, including the arts community.
There are also concerns from artists, arts organisations and theatre companies that the Maison de Folie, whilst a good idea for engaging with communities in 2004, are now “a waste of money, sucking in too much public funding”, and that they are “dangerous for the small scale theatre companies” as they don’t have the funding to pay professional fees for visiting companies. They were initiated as places where artists could meet, but it would appear they don’t fulfil this function.
Although they are pleased that disused buildings were renovated, one could ask whether this was at the expense of the established small and medium sized theatres and organisations in the region. I visited five such places: theatres, artists centres, a school for professional actors. None had received funding to develop their spaces. One was so in need of renovation that it cannot produce its own work in the theatre and instead can only tour. I asked the question repeatedly, and it was one that was voiced on numerous occasions: Why did Lille Ltd invest in new spaces rather than strengthen what already existed?
Of the organisations I visited, two made a real impact on me: La Malterie and Théâtre de Licorne. The former is a converted brewery and is in on the outskirts of the city. The organisation doesn’t have much connection with local community but is accepted as part of it. The organisation provides artists’ studios (there are 30); a rehearsal studio for artists to do research and development (with no pressure to produce; much like the Jude Kelly Metal project in London and Liverpool). It also provides a professional development service for artists, not unlike that at Hope Street. In all, there are 100-150 artists based at La Malterie at any one time.
Théâtre de Licorne is a stone’s throw from Maison de Folie in Wazemme. The space was steeped in history, its architect the same as the designer of the Eiffel Tower. The Artistic Director was an inspirational character, passionate about the theatre and the work produced by her company. She told me that since 2004 touring internationally has become less difficult as the company can carry the ‘Lille 2004’ brand, and she stressed that Cultural Capitals are not just about urban regeneration and changing the face of the city, they are about developing the artists and the artistic producers of the city. I agree 100%. For if we are not strengthened, who will facilitate the engagement of vulnerable people and excluded communities in arts and cultural activities? The politicians? The policy makers? The social services? I don’t think so.
