Montpellier 2028 was in Paris to submit our bid to the Ministry of Culture.
With : Michaël Delafosse, Mayor of Montpellier and President of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole; Adèle Charvet, President of the Montpellier 2028 association; Sophie Léron, General Manager and Nicolas Dubourg, Artistic Director.
Montpellier and all its partner local authorities are working together on a truly ambitious, forward-looking and inclusive regional project. The artistic project presented in the bid is based on 3 concepts – CONNECT, ACT, CELEBRATE – and 3 axes – Living Trails, Time machine, Trans! – .
This bid is the fruit of a joint project involving all our partners across the region, Europe and the African continent.
A big thank you to everyone who shared their imaginations with us and helped us write new stories!
On Tuesday 21st December, Michaël Delafosse, Mayor of the City of Montpellier and President of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, officially submitted the Montpellier 2028 bid to the Ministry of Culture. The M28 bidbook was submitted on behalf of all the members of the “Montpellier 2028 – European Capital of Culture” association.
The event was marked by a convivial aperitif at the Hôtel d’Aurès, the former music conservatory of Montpellier, which is now the headquarters for the bid.
All the representatives of the partner local authorities as well as the founding patrons were present to celebrate this first stage of printing and submitting the bidbook to which everyone had contributed.
This collegial bid was prepared and drawn up with and for the inhabitants. We look forward to sharing the fruits of their valuable contributions and the new projects for 2023!
The press conference to present the winning projects for 2022 and the pre-bid agenda was held in the sumptuous Château Laurens in Agde (due to reopen in June 2023). It was also an opportunity to present the booklet for the public and the next four months of exciting programming to come. Quentin DMR, photographer/plastic artist, gave a sneak preview of the project based on “Urban Furniture”, led by Studio 411 and InSit’Arts. The Young European Baroque Orchestra (JOBE) also appeared and will put on a musical “Big weekend”, led by the Les Ombres company, during several flash concerts at the beginning of October throughout the Montpellier 2028 area.
Six photographers from the Tendance Floue collective (Pascal Aimar, Denis Bourges, Yohanne Lamoulère, Flore-Aël Surun, Patrick Tourneboeuf and Alain Willaume) took a unique look at the area covered by Montpellier’s pre-bid for the title of European Capital of Culture 2028. From Montpellier’s first tramway line to the Pic-Saint Loup, on the water, on the roads or on the back streets, these artists have conveyed all the diversity and richness of the region.
The public was able to follow their Montpellier 2028 project – on Instagram – right from their very first photos This storytelling approach was aimed at creating a kind of immersive experience while building a special relationship with the public, allowing them to share in the photographers’ journey. A podcast version of the experiences of the six photographers rounded off the event and can be found at the bottom of this page.
The presentation of their work, devised in a participatory format, took place over three days. Part of the Hôtel d’Aurès, at the heart of the bid, was taken over by Tendance Floue photographers and transformed into a newsroom for the occasion. This allowed the public to see the creative process in action and to talk to the people involved in the project. Three of the photographers, joined by the graphic designer Sylvie Meunier, worked on the design of this fanzine, in collaboration with five students from the MO.CO – École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Montpellier (Alix Salel, Foix Nicolas, Audrey Sales Albella, Elina Pechena, Varvara Klymenko).
The residency ended on Friday 23 September at 8.30 pm with an outdoor celebration open to all. This evening was an opportunity to present the fanzine and show the works in the form of a live photo-concert, with the participation of the Collectif Koa.
La terre en partage by Flore-Aël SurunDu Rhône à Sète by Yohanne LamoulèrePremière Ligne by Denis BourgesAllez au Pic ! by Pascal AimarLes Chemins de traverse by Patrick TourneboeufRoutes Vertes by Alain Willaume
Wednesday 8 June saw the inaugural General Meeting of the “Montpellier 2028 – European Capital of Culture” association.
All the partner communities were represented. Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, the City of Montpellier, the City of Sète, Sète Agglopôle, the Occitanie Region, the Department of Hérault and the Communites of Municipalities of Pic Saint Loup, Hérault Méditerranée, Vallée de l’Hérault and Pays de Lunel all proved the commitment of an entire region to this bid.
The elected Board of Directors represents the driving forces of the area: local authorities, associate members from the economic, educational and cultural sectors, representatives from sponsor boards, urban sustainable development and tourism all of whom will play an active role in the association’s activities. Adèle Charvet was appointed as President of the association, Claire Fita as Vice-President, Max Ponseillé as Treasurer and Frédéric Schlesinger as Secretary.
This association, which has now become the body responsible for the bid, will be in charge of steering the project. Its role will be to draw up the bid documents, coordinate and lead the projects and partnerships with all involved, determine the objectives and guidelines for the cultural programme, secure the necessary funding and carry out all actions necessary for the bid to succeed.
A trip packed with opportunities to meet and share with a strong delegation from Montpellier in Palermo.
Discussions on the European project Rizoma launched by Leoluca Orlando, presentation of Kultur Ensemble Palermo, development of the future Sète-Palermo Festival and talks of future cooperation between cultural organisations and schools from our regions.
The Montpellier 2028 project is also being shaped in Palermo, with a delegation from Montpellier visiting the Italian city that was the European Capital of Culture in 2018.
Let’s take a look back at the press conference that took place on the morning of Tuesday 12 July 2022 in the gardens of the Maison des Relations Internationales for the presentation of the cultural projects selected for 2022 as part of Montpellier’s pre-bid for the title of European Capital of Culture 2028.
All the partner communities were represented.
It was an opportunity for some of the winning organisations, such as Bona Jornada, Bouillon Cube, Chagall sans M, La Fenêtre and MIAM, Medi Fav, Les Loustics du Pic and YOCOM, to present their projects scheduled to take place between August and December 2022 throughout the bid area.
All the winning structures will present their projects throughout the Montpellier 2028 territory, scheduled between August and December 2022.
