#Residency #Research #Creation #Education
This Call for Applications is part of Event 25 – Living trails, led by M28 – Terres de culture.
Preamble
In line with their respective approaches to development and anchoring, and as part of the joint Event 25 – Living trails event, the Hérault Valley Cultural Office (OCVH/The Sonambule) and the Montpellier 2028 – Terres de culture association are launching a call for residencies entitled “A step towards the Abbey of Possibilities“ around Aniane Abbey, with students from the Simone Veil High School in Gignac.
This residency is part of a wider dynamic, in connection with the artistic and cultural project “The Abbey of Possibilities” led and devised by the OCVH and Montpellier 2028, in conjunction with the Communauté de Communes Vallée de l’Hérault as part of Event 25 – Living trails.
Since 2005, the Hérault Valley Cultural Office has been developing an artistic and cultural project within The Sonambule, a cultural facility owned by the municipality of Gignac, in the heart of the Hérault Valley and the Pays Cœur d’Hérault. The Sonambule is contributing to the ambitious project to restore and develop the site of the former abbey at Aniane undertaken by the Communauté de Communes Vallée de l’Hérault. The site stands out for its emblematic character, bearing witness to stories that have marked successive generations. These stories, like invisible threads, link us to the present and shape the future. The Abbey of Aniane occupies a central place in local history for what it was: a place of prayer and silence, a yarn factory, a penal institution; and for what it prefigures: a stimulating cultural centre for the territory. The Abbey of Aniane is conceived as a modal point, a place-creuset in the Hérault Valley. Now a derelict site, it sees its future through memory and heritage, as part of a contemporary, living approach.
The Montpellier 2028 Association was set up by Montpellier, Sète and a number of local authorities to work together on a bid to become the European Capital of Culture, using culture as a lever for an ambitious policy to transform the region. This first phase was the driving force behind a long-term strategy that led to the co-construction of a regional project involving numerous partners, economic, educational and social players.
As a continuation of the momentum that has been built up, and in view of the challenges ahead, Montpellier 2028 now aims to capitalise on the momentum established during the bid to pursue joint actions on the territory and :
- Animate a common framework going beyond existing administrative structures and aiming to transform, through culture, the territory defined in the continuity of the candidacy of Montpellier and its partners to become European Capital of Culture,
- To create a space for experimentation with new artistic forms and collaborations around the day-to-day problems of local residents and the major issues affecting the area,
- Take an experimental and cross-sectoral approach,
- Support joint projects, document them and give them shared visibility.
A major cultural event, “Living trails”, will be held from 26 September to 5 October 2025, at the end of a year of residencies and experiments.
The “A step towards the Abbey of Possibilities” residency, supported by The Sonambule team, gives an artist the opportunity to develop a local project as part of a process of intergenerational artistic creation and transmission, at the heart of an emblematic heritage site in the Hérault region.
The ancient monastery of Aniane was founded in 782. Much of the abbey was devastated during the Wars of Religion, and a reconstruction project followed, which was completed during the French Revolution. The abbey became national property and housed a spinning mill, which was later sold to the State to house a central prison in 1845. Forty years later, it became a penal colony for minors, then a public institution for supervised education in 1953, with a focus on vocational training. Following its closure in 1998, the site was abandoned. In 2010, the Communauté de Communes Vallée de l’Hérault bought the abbey so that it could be protected and developed.
This residency is intended to be a powerful lever for encouraging the circulation and encounter of an artist with the high school pupils of Gignac. The artist is invited to work with the pupils to create a work that relates to the emblematic site of Aniane Abbey, which is a religious, social and economic heritage site. The artist will highlight this historic crossroads of identity that has forged the various communities living there.
The artist will be accompanied by the local project team (the cultural learning officer and the director of the Cultural Office) and a contact person from Montpellier 2028 – Terres de culture.
General conditions of the residency
Expected artistic discipline
The expected discipline is writing, and in particular poetry, literature, drama, graphic novels and experimental writing.
The research part of the residency includes time for amateur artistic practice with students from the Simone Veil High School. The creative part of the residency necessarily involves a performance at Event 25 – Living trails.
Duration and hosting conditions
Three weeks of experimentation and creation, with access to the site and support from the local team. Accommodation – where necessary – is provided by The Sonambule on the following terms: a private space in the Simone Veil boarding school, comprising a bedroom with an office and a bathroom. The Sonambule team will also facilitate travel on site, particularly between the Aniane Abbey and the Simone Veil High School. A working room will be made available to the artist at the Simone Veil High School.
Grant
The residency is endowed with a grant of €5,000. This includes the artist’s remuneration, per diems and transport to and from Gignac.
An agreement will be drawn up between the Montpellier 2028 association, The Sonambule and the artist.
Duration
As part of Event 25 – Living trails, The Sonambule team is offering a three-week residency to an artist from 12 September to 4 October 2025 included.
Terms and conditions
- The call for applications is open to artists of any age and any location.
- The artist is invited to experiment and create, in keeping with the context of the place of residency and within the framework of Event 25 – Living trails.
- The artist responds to this application individually*.
- The selected artist commits to being on site for three consecutive weeks during the period set out above
- The residency will be punctuated by periods of work with students from the Simone Veil High School.
- The artist’s proposal includes an intermediate meeting at the Simone Veil High School with a series of amateur artistic practices on Monday 29 September 2025 and a major event on Saturday 4 October 2025 during Event 25.
The Sonambule will facilitate the link between the artist, teachers and students, as well as access to the abbey site.
*In the event of a group response (maximum two artists), the performance planned for Event 25 – Living trails must be a joint proposal.
Rendition
With the support of the Montpellier 2028 – Terres de Culture association, The Sonambule will be organising the major rendition event, namely the presentation at Event 25 – Living trails.
Application
Applications must include:
- an up-to-date biography and a portfolio with the most relevant references,
- a statement of intent setting out the artist’s motivations for this residency, with particular attention paid to the specifics set out in this call for applications. This note should be 2 pages long.
The sum of the appendices must not exceed 5 pages. - Dossier and note of intent, not exceeding 20Mb, must be uploaded in PDF format with the following headings: ‘NAME_PORTFOLIO/BIO_ABBAYE_E25’ and “NAME_NOTE_ABBAYE_E25”, to the following two addresses: candidatures@lesonambule.fr and contact@montpellier2028.eu
- We thank you in advance for including in the body of your message, without exception, the following information in this order: Last name, First name, City, Telephone number, Website and Social networks (if applicable).
Application deadline: 18 May 2025 included
Download the Call for applications
The jury will deliberate on Monday 02 June 2025.