Conference at the Festival de Marseilles I

Théâtre des Bernardines

within the programme FESTIVAL OF IDEAS, MAKING THE CITY TOGETHER #2 of the Festival de Marseille: Art, public space, the Mediterranean

Reflections and discussion


Our starting point is “public space”: a space that in theory is shared and open, but in reality is communitarised – meaning it is characterized by the context, by particular social practices and by specific populations. What is the function given to art in such spaces? If it is to let those places and districts speak, to whom belongs the narrative?

Could we say that art in public places brings a contextual narrative that creates meaning for those who practice these places?

Does this type of art express the individuality and our differences or else does it participate in the notion of citizenship ?

These questions inevitably resonate differently when viewed from Alexandria, Tunis or Marseille.


With the participation of: Julien Marchaissau (Rara Woulib), Guy-André Lagesse (Les Pas Perdus), Julie De Muer (Hôtel du Nord), Selma Ouissi (L’Art Rue / Dream City), Anne Le Batard (Ex Nihilo), Emilie Petit (Momkin espaces de possibles). Discussions led by Eric Corijn (Université Libre de Bruxelles) and the philosopher Joëlle Zask in the presence of the co-organisers of the euro-méditerranean projet SHAPERS.