The courtyard as a connecting space between the components of the ‘grand house’.
Adjacent to the logis Royal, the Jeu de Paume room has been transformed into a multifunctional auditorium with variable geometry, which can be easily reconfigured to accommodate any type of performance.
A culture in action: an expography between theatre and museum
‘Culture in action’, dear to Antonin Artaud, is at the heart of our scenographic conception of the visit of the permanent collection. Here, the collection of objects to be exhibited does not seem to be sufficiently exhaustive to form the backbone of the tour. The exhibition is more centred around a set of playful and participative experiences. Our purpose is to create an original scenography that is situated between the spirit of an expography space and that of theatre. Sometimes actor, sometimes spectator, the visitor is invited to participate. These experiences are mainly based on digital tools but leave space for human mediation as an alternative, sensitive, and didactic lever for sharing culture and raising awareness of the richness of the French language.
A space without borders
The major challenge of this project, the appropriation of the Cité Internationale de la Langue Française by the greatest number of people, depends above all on its degree of openness on an urban scale. The absence of physical barriers really helps to break down psychological barriers. A space that we enjoy walking through without restraint is a space that we can easily appropriate.
This large, porous and welcoming public space is destined to become an everyday place for the de Cottereziens, as much as a site visited at least once in their lives by a great number of tourists.
The courtyard as a connecting space between the components of the ‘grand house’.
The courtyard of the Jeu de Paume is the epicentre. It welcomes visitors and guides them towards the various activity centres. It is a capable, convivial and lively space, where visitors can take the time to relax, discuss, stroll around or take advantage of the events programme.
It accommodates the ticket office, temporary and permanent exhibition spaces, activity areas, educational workshops, artists' residences, the bookshop-boutique, the café and other services. The creation of a public crossing in the north wing integrates it into the urban itinerary in a new linking to the city, passing through the Offices courtyard and the Forest of Retz.
A lexical sky
The covering of the courtyard by a glass roof is accompanied by a treatment of its underside. Shadowed by day, lustrous in the evening, it is made up of suspended words. This lexical sky strongly characterizes this agora.
Through the words and their cast shadows, the language invades the courtyard. The organisation of participative workshops open to the public could be the opportunity to bring out proposals for the choice of these words.
