Naturaleza"The quantity of visitors has been the main problem. Fire regulations dictate that a second staircase must be built in order to accommodate such huge numbers, which is why the building must be temporarily closed. "
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If this is so, then limit the number of persons visiting the bulding; and get on with it!
.H.
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----- Original Message -----
From: patachon
Sent: Sunday, August 08, 2004 10:29 PM
Subject: the whole spirit of the place will change
Artists' squat to become cultural venue
Amelia Gentleman in Paris
Tuesday August 3, 2004
The Guardian
An illegal Parisian artists' squat is to be transformed into an official and permanent cultural centre, designed as a counterpoint to more traditional galleries like the Louvre, at a cost of up to ?7m.
For first time in its five-year history, the purple, pink and orange doorway to the squat in a former office block at the heart of the French capital's expensive 1st arrondissement, was locked yesterday, after city authorities ruled that the building was no longer safe to receive the thousands of people who visit annually.
The 30 artists who work at 59 rue de Rivoli have been given rent-free studios and living space elsewhere, while the Paris authorities begin an emergency renovation programme on the premises. If the works go smoothly, the squat will reopen, newly legalised, in early 2007.
The commitment of the Paris authorities to support this anti-establishment project reflects the success the squat has had as an alternative art space since three artists known as the KGB (Kalex, Gaspard and Bruno) seized the abandoned six storey building in November 1999.
About 300,000 visitors have toured the studios and exhibition spaces since it opened, making the site at one stage, according to the artists, the third most popular contemporary art centre in Paris - after the Pompidou centre and the nearby Jeu-de-Paume gallery.
There are no official figures to support their claim, but the Paris mayor's office said there was no questioning the squat's popularity. "Its success has been enormous," Christophe Girard, deputy mayor in charge of culture, said yesterday.
The quantity of visitors has been the main problem. Fire regulations dictate that a second staircase must be built in order to accommodate such huge numbers, which is why the building must be temporarily closed.
Inside the building, the decision to preserve the building attracted a mixture of relief and hostility among the artists.
"We represent a breath of fresh air, and the authorities recognise that," said Kalex, one of the collective's founders.
"Young artists who aren't yet recognised by the art establishment can show their work here."
The squat's success owed much, he said, to its position, squeezed amid a parade of high-street chain stores, at the centre of Paris's busiest shopping centre. In one studio, surrounded by his oil paintings of wide-eyed and glaring nudes, Francesco (who like most of the artists goes only by one name), said that he was con cerned that the transformation into an institutionalised arts centre might pollute the atmosphere of freedom.
"The fact that what we're doing is illegal gives it a kind of magic. Once it becomes official, there will be written rules and regulations and the whole spirit of the place will change," he said.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If this is so, then limit the number of persons visiting the bulding; and get on with it!
.H.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: patachon
Sent: Sunday, August 08, 2004 10:29 PM
Subject: the whole spirit of the place will change
Artists' squat to become cultural venue
Amelia Gentleman in Paris
Tuesday August 3, 2004
The Guardian
An illegal Parisian artists' squat is to be transformed into an official and permanent cultural centre, designed as a counterpoint to more traditional galleries like the Louvre, at a cost of up to ?7m.
For first time in its five-year history, the purple, pink and orange doorway to the squat in a former office block at the heart of the French capital's expensive 1st arrondissement, was locked yesterday, after city authorities ruled that the building was no longer safe to receive the thousands of people who visit annually.
The 30 artists who work at 59 rue de Rivoli have been given rent-free studios and living space elsewhere, while the Paris authorities begin an emergency renovation programme on the premises. If the works go smoothly, the squat will reopen, newly legalised, in early 2007.
The commitment of the Paris authorities to support this anti-establishment project reflects the success the squat has had as an alternative art space since three artists known as the KGB (Kalex, Gaspard and Bruno) seized the abandoned six storey building in November 1999.
About 300,000 visitors have toured the studios and exhibition spaces since it opened, making the site at one stage, according to the artists, the third most popular contemporary art centre in Paris - after the Pompidou centre and the nearby Jeu-de-Paume gallery.
There are no official figures to support their claim, but the Paris mayor's office said there was no questioning the squat's popularity. "Its success has been enormous," Christophe Girard, deputy mayor in charge of culture, said yesterday.
The quantity of visitors has been the main problem. Fire regulations dictate that a second staircase must be built in order to accommodate such huge numbers, which is why the building must be temporarily closed.
Inside the building, the decision to preserve the building attracted a mixture of relief and hostility among the artists.
"We represent a breath of fresh air, and the authorities recognise that," said Kalex, one of the collective's founders.
"Young artists who aren't yet recognised by the art establishment can show their work here."
The squat's success owed much, he said, to its position, squeezed amid a parade of high-street chain stores, at the centre of Paris's busiest shopping centre. In one studio, surrounded by his oil paintings of wide-eyed and glaring nudes, Francesco (who like most of the artists goes only by one name), said that he was con cerned that the transformation into an institutionalised arts centre might pollute the atmosphere of freedom.
"The fact that what we're doing is illegal gives it a kind of magic. Once it becomes official, there will be written rules and regulations and the whole spirit of the place will change," he said.
--
The Design-L list for art and architecture, since 1992...
To subscribe, send mailto:design-l-subscribe-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.
To signoff, send mailto:design-l-unsubscribe-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.
Visit archives: http://lists.psu.edu/archives/design-l.html
--
The Design-L list for art and architecture, since 1992...
To subscribe, send mailto:design-l-subscribe-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.
To signoff, send mailto:design-l-unsubscribe-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.
Visit archives: http://lists.psu.edu/archives/design-l.html
