t h e d r u n k e n r a f t
ACTIONS
WITH ART ALONG THE RIVER MEUSE, FROM COMMERCY TO ROTTERDAM - JULY AND
AUGUST 2006
• •
• The Raft
The raft started
life as a tubular structure on sixteen floats, with a floor, an engine
and a control mechanism. "Lighter than a cork" (Arthur Rimbaud). The
living quarters are already in place - a cube set on one corner defying
gravity. The scene is set, the travelling workshop is ready to set off,
and the two artists embark.
It is a cultural
space where the artists Patrick Hervelin and Dany Kowalski, as they sail
down the river, will be able to encounter other creators, other
sensitivities, other skills, other points in common.
Four special
moments: one in the Meuse region, one in the Ardennes, one in Belgium
and one in Holland, involving artists who are open to current
disciplines and improvised interaction (video, music, song, dance,
fireworks and plastic arts). Throughout the trip, there will be an
exhibition
• •
• An interregional project, that crosses
frontiers
The work is a
continually evolving phenomenon. It will be sailing from Commercy, along
the River Meuse, the French Ardennes, the Belgian Ardennes, the Liege
region, Maastricht, Limburg, the Dutch polders, all the way to the port
of Rotterdam.
• •
• Creation
An
anachronistic vessel sailing down the river, with floating sculptures in
its wake. A Raft that has become inebriated by imagination, a joyous
cockleshell, reflecting poetry, travel, encounters, wisdom and folly.
• •
• Audiences
It is an
innovative project, in that it aims to attract new audiences, that may
not be familiar with traditional cultural centres. The project is
similar to land art or street art, being for people who do not
necessarily frequent traditional art venues (contact with organisations
such as schoolchildren's holiday activity centres, tourist offices,
cultural societies).
A multimedia
event
Performance in
the port of Rotterdam where the specific characteristics of artists will
be liberated so that they can resonate together: video projection,
music, a happening.
• •
• A
multimedia event
Performance in
the port of Rotterdam where the specific characteristics of artists will
be liberated so that they can resonate together: video projection,
music, a happening.
• •
• Communication
In-depth work is
done in villages and towns before the raft arrives, preparing creative
initiatives all along the itinerary. The calendar becomes an integral
part of the cultural programme of the towns visited.
Posters,
postcards, a web site and press packs give the event maximum impact.
There is a director to coordinate both the impromptu and programmed
encounters a few days before the raft arrives.
