CAC Brétigny

Exhibition at the Théâtre Brétigny
Part of “Le vent se lève” cycle (September—December)

“Waiting for the flying cars” was produced in collaboration with the Timb'radio, the STI2I class (2019-2020) of the Jean-Pierre Timbaud high school in Brétigny-sur-Orge, the children of the Branly neighborhood of Brétigny-sur-Orge and high school students and adolescents met on the forecourt of the CAC Brétigny.

Artistic collaborators: r22 Tout-Monde (Simon Marini, Victor Donati), Clara Sambot, Mathilde Leprisé and Lola Fernandez-Dervaux.

With paintings by Sara Bouazzaoui, Yasmine Kicha and Shveta Lebonheur, and a text by Loïc Hornecker.

Laura Burucoa and I decided that the Edutainer[1] would be the starting point for her residency, who will be present in this site every Thursday and Friday.

“At first, I liked this aspect of being present on a regular basis. But early on in the project, I felt that I didn’t want to impose. That’s something I try to think about all the time. So I liked this space—the Edutainer, because it solved the problem of not wanting to intervene directly on the plaza and take up the little space people have to chill.”—Laura

It’s true that where to relax is a real problem on the Parvis Jules Verne. Although the artist first thought she would “quickly leave the Edutainer and explore the town of Brétigny,” the space where she lives became the project’s core. In opening up this space, Laura turned it into a “hangout” that is freely accessible to everyone.

“The Edutainer is ideal for a high school kid who wants a place to chill. In methodological terms, this is how every collaborative working relationship has started. ‘We want to see what’s inside, we’re curious.’ Also, ‘Wow, there’re chairs and it’s very private,’ and of course, there’s the couch in the alcove. That was a very interesting way of relating to this place, and I knew it.”—Laura

This interest in the site produced a “win-win” relationship, she says. But what I find particularly touching and true here is the reciprocal desire to connect. And this structure isn’t empty—there’s someone home. She’s just there, she invites you to come in and talk, takes the time for that.

“I think that’s what I want to work with. When you establish a framework, what happens inside and how do you react to that? In fact, that’s what happens all the time, changing and seeing how that works. Trial and error is the basic principle of this residence.”—Laura

At first conceived as an artist’s studio, the Edutainer, popularly known as the container, gradually went from being a residence to a place where friends could get together to study, rest, or enjoy a soft drink. This ambience is so important to understanding the project because it’s what has allowed the container to become a place of trust and to listen. The framework Laura talks about is the warm and hospitable radio broadcast studio she’s set up. Here you “put on headphones, listen and sit down” and talk about the future. You share about yourself and make up science fiction stories. You debate and discuss what your daily lives could be like.

This exhibition at the Phare does not include the recordings Laura and her many collaborators made in the Edutainer in 2019—21. They will be combined and broadcast on the r22 website, a web radio partner in this project. The exhibition will be the result of a summer spent recalling and visually recounting what was done together in this site of possibilities.

Camille Martin
Curator of the exhibition
 

Notes: 

[1]The Edutainer is a structure designed by the Atelier Van Lieshout, situated outside CAC Brétigny on the Parvis Jules Verne, between the multimedia center, the theater, the art center, and the high school.

A 2018 graduate of the Haute École des Arts du Rhin, Laura Burucoa has focused on practices that take shape around the transmission of knowledge and the ways of creating history through video, performance, writing, and the design of collective situations. She became especially interested in the issues and modes of communicating, telling stories, and working together after a number of experiences as an activity leader for children at holiday camps and an official guide (at the Rencontres d'Arles in the summer of 2015 and MAC VAL since 2019). Imagining the work of art in its habitat and working on the contexts of production, circulation, and public outreach are the significant elements in each of her projects. She has also taken part in several group shows as an artist or curator (CRAC Alsace, Syndicat Potentiel, Hangar 9, Casino Luxembourg, etc.).

Camille Martin was the Head of production at CAC Brétigny. After a bachelor's degree in art history at Paris Nanterre University and her mediation experiences at the Rencontres d'Arles and at la maison rouge (Paris), she is admitted to the curatorial formation of Rennes 2 University where she studied to become production manager and exhibition curator before joining CAC Bretigny's team. In 2019, with Cathy Crochemar, they created the collective commizariat which thinks of festive and popular frames of monstration for the young contemporary creation.