The lieu unique is a center for contemporary culture located in

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Opened at the beginning of the 21st century, it is housed in a former biscuit factory at the center of the city. It was founded by

Jean Blaise Jean Blaise (born 1951) is a French artistic director for special events. Blaise was born in 1951 in Algiers. His family left Algeria for the Parisian suburbs and settled in Ris-Orangis. In 1976 he received his Licencié en lettres and became he ...

, directed by

Patrick Gyger Patrick J. Gyger (born 1971 in São Paulo) is a Swiss historian and writer. His family left Brazil in 1979 and moved to Rolle in Switzerland. He studied medieval history at the University of Lausanne in 1989. Career From 1999 to 2010, Gyger ...

from 2011 to 2020, and is currently directed by Eli Commins.

Presentation

''Scène nationale'' of Nantes (center for contemporary culture), the ''lieu unique'' is a space for artistic exploration, cultural effervescence and conviviality that is internationally recognized for its spirit of curiosity in the different domains of art: visual art, theatre, dance, circus, music, but also literature, philosophy, architecture, and digital culture. Every year the lieu unique presents dozens of shows (

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

, circus and

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

as well as concerts, literary gatherings, philosophical debates, exhibitions, residencies for artists, festivals).

History

From 1895 to 1985 - A biscuit factory

In 1895, the Nantes-based biscuit makers

Lefèvre-Utile Lefèvre Utile, better known worldwide by the initials LU, is a French manufacturer brand of biscuits, emblematic of the city of Nantes. The brand is now part of US confectionery company Mondelēz International since 2012, after splitting of its ...

(LU), famous for their petit beurre cookies, built a factory on quai Ferdinand-Favre to develop new products. The structure, made entirely of concrete and metal, was innovative for its time and the two magnificent junction towers, which were added in 1909, make it one of Nantes’ most iconic buildings.

From 1986 to 1999 - The factory re-adapted in a cultural place

In 1986, and decades of expansion later, LU moved its production out of the city centre. Its old factories were mostly demolished and only the annex of the quai Ferdinand-Favre now remains standing. From 1989, artists (in particular, the Royal de Luxe theatre troupe) began taking over the abandoned structure and turning it into a place of atypical creativity. In 1994, in this abandoned building, the Centre de Recherche et de Développement Culturel (CRDC) a cultural association in Nantes, began to hold cultural events: ''Les Allumées'' (1990/91/92/93/94), ''Trafics'' (1996/97) and ''Fin de siècle'' (1997/98/99).

, Director of the CRDC at the time, convinced the city of Nantes to preserve the building and transform it into a new type of living cultural space, that could also be a meeting place outside of exhibitions and performances. He submitted a cultural project plan to

Jean-Marc Ayrault Jean-Marc Ayrault (; born 25 January 1950) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 15 May 2012 to 31 March 2014. He later was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2016 to 2017. He previously was Mayor of Nantes from 1989 t ...

, mayor of Nantes: to create a place where life would spontaneously exist side by side with art, in its more contemporary or even disturbing ways. The project also included spaces of services (bar, restaurant, bookstore, day nursery, hammam). In 1998, restoration work on the only remaining tower began, conducted by Jean-Marie Lépinay, as well as rehabilitation of the factory by the French architect Patrick Bouchain, one of his first big projects.

The opening in 2000

The lieu unique opened on the 30th of December 1999, during the "End of century" festival in Nantes. This opening was marked by the ''Grenier du siècle'' (The Store of the century). A translucent double wall was designed to receive an important collection of objects given by the population. Put in cans, these objects are going to stay a whole century in this Store, until its opening on 1 January 2100 at 5pm. Today, the Lieu unique is internationally recognized for its spirit of curiosity in the various fields of art: plastic arts, theater, dance, circus, music, but also literature, philosophy, architecture and digital cultures. Each year, the contemporary culture center offers more than 100 shows as well as several exhibitions and residencies for visual artists. Highlights (festivals, major debates, etc.) and a section of conferences and debates called "labo utile" (society, architecture, documentary cinema, philosophy, etc.)

Images of the lieu unique

From Outside

File:ARM120421-157.jpg, Public entrance File:Le Lieu Unique - Célèbre équipement culturel de Nantes.jpg, At the back File:Lieu Unique tower Nantes.jpg, The Tower

On the ground floor

On the First Floor

File:Le lieu unique (Nantes), "atelier 1".jpg, Atelier 1

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lieu Unique, Le Nantes Buildings and structures in Nantes Tourist attractions in Nantes Arts centres in France Squash venues