This event is ended. Thank you all for your participation!
Monumental participative construction in cardboard
What if we could rebuild a blast furnace together, with our own hands?
And what if this giant blast furnace was made of cardboard, doesn't that sound crazy? Well, it's possible! On Saturday 28.09, let's build this huge edifice in the middle of the Place de la Résistance, without cranes or machines, using only human energy and the strength of our arms! The very next day, we'll be tearing the whole thing down together!
Our aim? To realise a childhood dream, a collective performance, a pause in time, a reflection on architecture, a social project… Everyone sees what they like best. The magic of the project is that we come together for something, not against it.
Olivier GrossetêteThe result is a pretext. What's great is the moment of creation, putting all your energy and know-how into making the dream come true. That's what I share with people: that moment of creation.
How does it work?
For several days prior to construction, adults and children of all ages and backgrounds are welcomed into workshops to prepare the components of the structure. The specific parts of the blast furnace are made and pre-assembled: chimneys, tanks, pipes, etc.
Workshop timetable:
Monday 23 September: 9:00-12:30 and 17:00-20:30 (morning and evening)
Tuesday 24 September: 13:30-17:00 and 18:00-21:30 (afternoon and evening)
Wednesday 25 September: 8:30-12:00 and 17:00-20:30 (morning and evening)
Thursday 26 September: 13:30-17:00 and 18:00-21:30 (afternoon and evening)
Friday 27 September: 8:30-12:00 and 13:30-17:00 (morning and afternoon) + loading in the evening
On the Place de la Résistance, passers-by are invited throughout the day to take part in the construction. It's a real moment of joy, of meeting new people and of collective synergy, as the elements prepared in the workshop are assembled, piece by piece, to create the giant blast furnace.
The public is invited to take part in the demolition of the structure. The team uses ropes to bring down the monument, then the public is invited to stomp and jump on the cardboard boxes before taking them to the recycling truck.
About the artist
Olivier Grossetête, a visual artist based in Marseilles, works with recuperation and misappropriation. Playing with words, shapes, volumes and materials, his work ranges from monumental cardboard installations to meticulous collages of minutes. Since 2000, he has been presenting his Constructions Monumentales Participatives en Cartons around the world, with almost 250 constructions completed on five continents.