1 Page 3 Reopening of the “Carrières du Val d’Enfer” Page 4 Synopsis of the new show Page 7 The creators Page 10 New high-performance technological equipment Page 11 New show – “Metamorphoses” Page 12 The “Carrières de Lumières” Page 15 Lighting up the Carrières Page 16 Culturespaces, show producer Page 17 Practical information Page 18 Visuals for the press 2 The famous shows produced every year at the ’Carrières du Val d’Enfer’, renamed ‘Carrières de Lumières’, are restarting on 30 March 2012 In 2011, the town of Les Baux de Provence asked Culturespaces to take over management of its famous audio visual shows at the Carrières du Val d’Enfer quarry under a public service concession agreement. This is another sign of its confidence in Culturespaces which has been managing the Château des Baux de Provence since 1993. The site will reopen its doors on 30 March 2012 under its new name “Carrières de Lumières” with the show “ Gauguin and Van Gogh, the colour painters” , created by Gianfranco Iannuzzi with Renato Gatto and Massimiliano Siccardi. Culturespaces has chosen this name to give this man-made site a new focus and emphasise the ever-present role of light here. In the heart of Alpilles, the monumental “Carrières de Lumières” host extraordinary multimedia shows which are unique in the world. Culturespaces is organising an innovative and ambitious project with 4 key aspects: A new programme of cultural events on the theme of the History of Art in the Carrières rooms and galleries: audio visual shows, live shows, concerts, lectures, and more.The ‘Carrières de Lumières’ aims to become a cultural hub for multiple events , and will be offering one big new show every year profiling the greatest names in the History of Art. A new event in which the Carrières quarries are gradually lit up to highlight the unique nature of the site between each show, allowing visitors to admire their mineral beauty. New high-performance technological equipment for this outstanding audio visual show. Each area of the Carrières invites visitors on an extraordinary audio visual journey made possible by cutting-edge technological equipment and methods developed by Culturespaces and its multimedia partners: 70 video projectors, 3D audio adapted to the specific characteristics of the site, etc. More surfaces used in the show to give it more breadth and extend this artistic journey. Spectators are totally immersed in the image projected onto all the surfaces of the rock. We are now using twice the number of video projectors in order to cover twice the wall area. The ground is completely covered, too, and becomes a vast carpet of images. 3 The aim of this show is to show the links between Paul Gauguin and Vincent Van Gogh and to analyse their very different ways of using colour. While Gauguin uses well defined areas of flat colour, Van Gogh prefers vibrant layers of paint which bring a relief effect to his paintings. The show touches on their two careers, which had a number of similarities : both started out painting landscapes in northern Europe (Brittany for Gauguin and the Netherlands for Van Gogh) before returning to the South of France, later reaching an explosion of colour inspired by the Pacific islands for Gauguin and northern France for Van Gogh. The seven sequences of this show transport visitors in music to the colourful world of these two painters and submerge them in a world of images, where paintings come to life before their very eyes. Van Gogh, the northern prelude This prelude introduces us to the austere northern light in Van Gogh’s first paintings. The dark sombre colours depict ordinary people in hard living conditions. Like a prelude at the Opera, this phase shows the audience an important but often little known aspect of the artist's work. Gauguin in Pont-Aven, a new theory of picture Gauguin went to Pont-Aven in Brittany for the first time in 1886. There he encountered the culture and customs and discovered its colours and vibrant green landscapes. The large expanses and special atmosphere here inspired him to fill sketch pads and to create his own personal style. He developed a new theory of picture characterised by the simplification of forms, the removal of details and the use of expanses of colour to preserve only what is essential. Away from Paris, he was able to work freely on the expressive effects of exaggerating shapes, combined with a wealth of colour and stylised lines. This period of intensive research shows a move away from impressionist forms and techniques and the development of his own stylistic 4 vocabulary. Gauguin & Van Gogh - correspondence The third sequence brings the two artists together through their correspondence , which shows their coming together, their encounter and their separation. Their exchanges went in fits and starts, but each of them kept up ongoing conversations with friends and family. Van Gogh corresponded regularly with his brother Theo. His letters talked about painting, Gauguin, art and his aspirations as an artist. The artists’ own handwriting is displayed dynamically, and their words resonate around various parts of the quarry. The encounter at Arles The two painters met for the first time amidst the warm colours of the South of France. Gauguin joined Van Gogh’s ‘Studio of the South’ on 23 October 1888. The latter had a deep desire to bring together artists on the fringe of traditional art markets to create synergy through collaboration. The painters of the Studio of the South gathered in a small yellow house that Van Gogh rented outside the old city wall of Arles. This encounter marked the beginning of a partnership filled with opposition and conflict, admiration and contempt , but with only one objective – authenticity in painting, and specifically, in the use of colour. Two months after his arrival, Gauguin left the Studio of the South because of insurmountable differences in personality and ideas. At this point, Van Gogh was already starting to go mad, and cut off part of his ear in a nervous state. They continued, nonetheless, to correspond, but they would never meet again. 5 Gauguin in the Pacific islands, back to Eden After several intense months in Arles, Gauguin decided to head to Tahiti. This was the start of “the Studio of the Tropics”. Gauguin produced a great deal of work in Papeete and its surroundings: he sculpted, painted and engraved, taking documents that he had brought from Paris as his inspiration (photographs, Japanese prints, etc.) and superimposing them onto Polynesian superstitions and customs. These far-off islands plunge us into a mythical world. The sensory dimension of this new picture world is expressed with the generous use of colours. The artist’s palette becomes both harmonious and dissonant, and ranges from pink to indigo, lemon- yellow to red ochres, jade to emerald. Van Gogh in Saint-Rémy, under the Southern sun Van Gogh stayed in Provence, where the turbulent power of the sky, cypress and olive trees reflected his tormented soul which can be seen in the curves of his drawings, the strength of his lines, the dense texture of the paint and the intensity of colour. On 8 May 1889, he committed himself to the asylum in Saint-Rémy. Throughout his stay there, he maintained an imaginative and creative mind, and adopted a more innovative approach with a strong drawing style, bright colours and daring perspectives like the famous “The Starry Night”, or his famous series of “Cypresses”. The Auvers-sur-Oise plain This artistic journey comes to an end with two intensely emotional paintings. “Wheat field with crows” is a strong and poetic image, full of the vibrant life of nature. The sky is stormy, and the crows are flying off from the wheat fields. Then the image of almond blossoms points towards renewal. Unlike the previous one, this painting is full of hope and life. It is the sign that painting is immortal, and that it does not end with the painter but lives on. 6 Gianfranco IANNUZZI trained as a sociologist and photographer. His artistic approach uses image, sound and light to communicate through the senses. He works to provide a cultural and artistic re-imagining of diverse existing places and spaces, both indoor and outdoor. On each occasion he creates an installation that respects, profiles and transforms the space in a temporary way. He designs an “interactive environment” which spectators can move through at their own pace, and even change their perception of the show. The use of state-of-the art multimedia and interactive technology encourages audiences to participate and get actively involved with the work of art. He has been producing shows for the Carrières at Les Baux de Provence for many years. He is currently working on a number of projects across Europe and the world, filling new spaces with his artistic creations. Renato GATTO is a drama teacher and assistant director. He has produced his own teaching and training programme focussed on the relationship between the body and the voice, gestures and sounds. He teaches vocal technique in the main Italian theatre schools, and works as a teacher and performer with the Fenice Theatre teaching project in Venice. He is Head of the Accademia Teatrale Veneta actor training school. Massimiliano SICCARDI is a video director and multimedia artist. He has developed a research and production business using new image, sound and video technologies. He works with images, seeking to integrate them into artistic performances and choreographies. Recent work 2010 “Ponts”: multimedia installation in the Cardinals’