Founded by French entrepreneur Frédéric Jousset, Art Explora aims to renew the dialogue between the arts and audiences on a local, national and international scale. The proof is in the pudding, with the launch in 2024 of the Art Explora Festival, a maritime circulation of digital works in the Mediterranean and a plan for some fifteen destinations to be visited over several years. Before considering other continents? A look back at Art Explora’s activities with Philippe Rivière, the foundation’s digital director.
Art Explora, a foundation dedicated to contemporary creation
Philippe Rivière – Art Explora is a foundation created in 2019, recognized as a public utility since summer 2023 (among 300 foundations in France). It has two public-interest missions: to support contemporary creation, and to provide access to culture for as many people as possible. It supports a wide range of projects to meet these objectives. Art Explora has already launched artists’ residencies and mobile distribution projects, such as a MuMo museum truck associated with the Centre Pompidou (and an English version of this concept with Tate Liverpool). The idea is to open up access to the works of these cultural establishments.
P. R. – In parallel, since 2022 we have been developing online training with the Art Explora Academy. On this site, we offer micro-learning modules for adults and young adults who have a few minutes a day to spare. Supervised by academics, anyone can obtain a certificate validated by Sorbonne-Université. And new modules are on the way, focusing on the immersive exhibition created with the exceptional collaboration of the Louvre Museum and other partners. The format works! Over 35% of users are under 25. These modules, available in French and English free of charge, are currently being translated (12 languages!) to accompany the Art Explora Festival in the countries of the Mediterranean basin.
The Art Explora Festival, a museum boat in the Mediterranean
P. R. – In March 2024, we are launching the Art Explora Festival, an itinerant event in 15 Mediterranean countries (over two/three years). The idea is based on the fact that 60% of the world’s population lives less than 60 minutes from the coast. So we came up with the concept of “cabotage” to transport cultural experiences to new places. An initiative like the Art Explora Festival must be able to present art in a new light, without reproducing what cultural institutions and museums are already doing. We’re working a lot on formats, and therefore often around digital technology to develop points of contact between artworks and the public.
P. R. – On board the boat, the experience will be 100% digital. First of all, sound, with content produced by Ircam Amplify. Then an exhibition created with the Louvre Museum, in two formats: documentary and educational content on the representation of women in Mediterranean cultures, and an immersive room with LED screens – a more sensory device that will immerse the spectator in several experiences. It’s an immersive installation that we were able to preview with the “Recharger/Unwind” exhibition at Hangar Y in late 2023.
Through a Sound Odyssey, Ircam and Ircam Amplify invite visitors to explore the sensations of the Mediterranean and discover new soundscapes, both imaginary and real. An immersive 11:30-minute journey will allow visitors to encounter, with their eyes closed, the richness and diversity of the Mediterranean.
P. R. – We’ve digitized some forty works from the Louvre in 3D, which will be presented in this tunnel of screens, creating a highly attractive effect for the public. At the end of this exploration (lasting around an hour), other content will be offered via the online academy or a pop-up village installed on the welcome port. We’re aiming for the easiest possible access for everyone.
P. R. – The village accompanying the boat will not be systematic, but will take place every other stage. The core of the project is based on the boat and a live performance project at each stop, with a local programmer to guide us through the artistic communities at each destination. The village and exhibitions will combine contemporary art (often on environmental themes), photography and moving images (around notions of hospitality and welcoming, migration in motion) and a VR pavilion. The themes change as you browse. And then there’s catering, etc. A true cultural destination for the countries you visit!
Destinations :
- 21 – 31 MARCH Valetta, Malta
- 17 – 23 APRIL Venice, Italia
- 6 – 19 JUNE Marseilles, France
- SEPTEMBER Tanger, Marocco
- OCTOBER Rabat, Marocco
- NOVEMBER Malaga, Spain
Next up: Albania, Greece, Egypt, Cyprus, Lebanon, Turkey, Portugal, Tunisia, Nice…
P. R. – The Art Explora Festival circuit is first and foremost Mediterranean, because these people are close to us. A proximity, but also a cultural richness that made sense. From there, we approached as many countries as possible – starting in Malta in March 2024. Venice and its Biennale were a must for us, as was Marseille for France, and so on. Between meetings and direct solicitations (notably at the World Expo in Dubai in 2022, where Art Explora presented the project), the map was quickly created between programming intentions and logistical issues. The boat will then be able to set sail for more distant destinations – everything is planned for this.
In Malta :
- NUYE by Roberto Magro, Armando Rabanera Muro et Fabrizio Giannini (Compañía de Circo “eia”)
- *ETNIKA, Maltese music group
- JUSTIN ADAMS, MAURO DURANTE & MOHAMED ERREBEA
- BONĠU BEJT!, co-produced by Festival International des Arts pour Enfants and Jeunes ŻiguŻajg and Culture Venture.
- LUZZU by Alex Camilleri
VIRTUAL REALITY PAVILION – TRAVEL THROUGH TIME AND SPACE
- Mediterranean Wonders: Discovering the Golden Age of Alexandria, Athens, and Venice
- Age-Old Cities: A Virtual Journey from Palmyra to Mosul
- (HI)STORY OF A PAINTING : THE LIGHT IN THE SHADOW
- MEET MORTAZA
- DAWN OF ART
- ISLE OF THE DEAD
Using digital technology to reach audiences
P. R. – Digital technology is an opportunity to renew public access to culture. With many possibilities, and therefore choices to be made. There’s no VR on board the boat, because we wanted to maintain a social, collective approach. The same goes for sound. These are inclusive proposals every time, which remains one of the criteria at the heart of our actions. Only then can we direct people towards more technical formats, with mediation.
P. R. – It’s the same with the Mumo trucks, for school audiences. Thanks to our partnerships with the Centre Pompidou, Tate Liverpool and the FRACs in France, we are able to offer both audio content and works to view. It’s all about ease of use, but also vehicle safety. And very precise circulation in small and medium-sized towns, with very family-oriented audiences.
Art Explora in a nutshell
The Art Explora Festival is an open-access traveling cultural festival, developed in collaboration with local institutions across the Mediterranean to offer unique cultural and artistic experiences to all audiences.
As part of a partnership with Hangar Y, each year the Art Explora Foundation presents an exhibition at this crossroads of art, science and technology, history and nature.
Art Explora has teamed up with the MuMo (Musée-mobile) project and the Centre Pompidou to create a museum truck that travels the roads of France to meet all its inhabitants.
Every year, the Art Explora Foundation, in collaboration with the Cité internationale des arts, welcomes around twenty residents, artists and researchers from all over the world. To follow, another program in Albania.
Art Explora Academy, the first completely free digital platform dedicated to learning art history, leading to a certificate validated by Sorbonne-Université.
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