The Wasteland the Beauty of May The creation of the Friche has enabled the district to retrain, and to offer the inhabitants of the arrondissement, and the people of Marseille, a real cultural and economic center.
To better understand the birth of the Friche, we must go back to the second half of the 1980s. Gaston Deferre, then mayor of Marseille, had decided to restructure the cultural life of Marseille and give it a new impetus. Apart from these two exceptions – the Théâtre de la Criée directed at the time by Marcel Maréchal and the Ballet National de Marseille directed by Roland Petit – Marseilles indeed had one of the smallest cultural budgets in France and had no large-scale project.
Culture is today at the heart of the Wasteland. In particular, it hosts the Mucem's resource conservation center, which provides access to the Mucem's archives, library and documentation.
The Goethe Institut Marseille is also present at La Friche. It is the globally active cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Institute promotes the knowledge of the German language abroad and the maintenance of international cultural collaborations.
Port city, commercial city, working-class city, Marseille and its city councilors, throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, paid little attention to culture, this function being traditionally devolved to the rival Aix-en-Provence. The construction of the wasteland has changed the image of a culturally neglected city.
A true place of creation and innovation It is both a workspace for its 70 resident structures (350 artists, producers, employees who work there daily) and a place of dissemination (600 public artistic proposals each year, workshops dedicated to young audiences, major festivals) .
With 450,000 visitors per year, 2500m2 of exhibition space, 6 concert halls, 2 performance halls, shared gardens, a restaurant, a crèche, a bookstore, an 8000m2 roof terrace and more than 600 events per year, the Friche is a cosmopolitan place and vector of meeting and sharing, like the Phocaean city.
All year round, the Friche la Belle de Mai offers a complete cultural program. Open to all, you can stroll along the “green wasteland” (the green space of the place), go through the playground of “street art” artists, or even stop for a drink at the “Café de La Room”, open every day.
For skateboarders of all ages and all levels, the Skatepark de la Friche is a must. It is a one-of-a-kind piece of equipment, designed by the Constructo agency, which specializes in skate park engineering. It offers many modules dedicated to the “street” practice of skateboarding. Very popular with riders from the city, the Skatepark de la wasteland is worth the detour.
If you are peckish, “Les Grandes Tables” de la Friche invites you to taste seasonal products full of flavors. More than a restaurant, “Les Grandes Tables” is a place of meeting, culinary and cultural sharing and reflection on cooking and food. Several projects have been set up: The Farmer's Market on Monday evening, Les grandes Carrioles, or even street food as a duo: chef / artist.
For years, La Friche has become a cultural reference for the city of Marseille, where everyone can create their bubble and experience a unique moment. The project highlighted the importance of cultural spaces in the city, and brought to the fore the creativity and innovative ideas of Marseilles minds.
Translated by Google •
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