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RCR architects outline a new horizon for art in Paris
'Large' opens on Île Seguin as a new contemporary art center and promotes the cultural transformation of the former Renault industrial territory.
Catalan architecture gains a presence in Paris with Large – Centre d'art de la Pointe des Arts , the new cultural facility designed by RCR arquitectes in collaboration with the French studio CALQ Agence d'Architecture. Located in Boulogne-Billancourt, on Île Seguin, the project marks the first work of the Olot studio in the metropolitan Paris area and is part of the reconversion of a space historically linked to the Renault factories.
Conceived by Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem and Ramon Vilalta, Large is part of the new cultural hub La Pointe des Arts, which aims to place contemporary creation at the heart of the island's urban transformation and connect it to both banks of the Seine. The project is part of an intervention of more than 53,000 square meters, developed by Emerige with Ardian and AOG, which aims to transform this former industrial enclave into a new cultural destination.
The architectural proposal is based on the desire to go beyond the exhibition function and conceive of the space as an active element in the perception of the works. "We need places to question and, at the same time, inspire a present in mutation and marked by uncertainty," explain the architects, who demand facilities capable of dialogue with those questioning the present.
The name Large refers to the French expression prendre le large , which means to take to the sea. The reference to the open sea evokes the distance of six nautical miles that, following the course of the Seine, separates Île Seguin from Notre-Dame, and suggests an idea of openness to new horizons.
The center inaugurates its activity with Moteur Imaginaire , an exhibition curated by Cecilia Alemani that puts Renault's artistic legacy into dialogue with the practices of contemporary creators. The show connects the industrial memory of the place with new forms of creation and accompanies the transformation of the island into a space dedicated to art and culture.
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