DP Gauguin Van Gogh EN

Home , Almond Blossoms, Fields by the Sea, Paul Gauguin (ship), Roman Theatre of Orange, Two Tahitian Women

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

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.

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.

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’ Vestry, Palais des Papes, Avignon 2009 “Picasso”: show for Cathédrale d'Images 2009 “Digital Dynamic Fresco” - a permanent installation in the dome of the Petruzelli Theatre, Bari 2009 “Giotto – Francis, radiant humility” - video installation in Notre-Dame du Val-de-Grâce, Paris 2008 Permanent installation at the Lapidary Museum, Narbonne 2007 Multimedia installation at Jas De Bouffan, Aix en Provence 2007 “Venise” - show for Cathédrale d’Images 2006 Light and sound installation at the Roman Horreum, Narbonne 2006 “Couleurs Cézanne”: show for Cathédrale d’Images

Current projects

“IMAX Flying Theater Project” – Vancouver, Canada “Grande Exhibitions” - Melbourne, Australia “Debbané Museum” - Saida, Lebanon “Tokyo National Art Center Project” – Japan* “Kyoto University Hall Project” – Japan* * postponed due to 2011 earthquake

Interview with Gianfranco Iannuzzi…

1. Where does the idea for this project come from? G.I.: The idea behind this project is to take the opportunity to go deeper into the world of two painters, and to bring them together in one outstanding and grandiose location to tell the story of a legendary and intriguing relationship using only images and musics, providing a total immersion in colour through the work of two exceptional artists.

2. What is your feeling about the peculiar friendship between Gauguin and Van Gogh? G.I.: Despite their differences in personality and artistic perspective, it is beyond doubt that Van Gogh and Gauguin influenced each other. I don't think, though, that we could call it friendship. Van Gogh believed that Gauguin was the artist who could help him develop his Studio of the South idea, a community of artists that would correspond to his ideals for life and painting. For Gauguin, it was nothing more than a temporary opportunity to help him find his way, a turning point in his career that marked a before and after. Both of their techniques involved the juxtaposition of colour. This is one of the show's key themes.

3. How do you portray this relationship in the show? G.I.: The relationship between the two artists is shown as two parallel lives which criss-cross like meteorites, moving together and then apart. They have different starting points: “Nuenen: the austere northern light” and “Pont-Aven: a new theory of picture” An encounter and a confrontation: “Correspondence” and “Arles: the encounter” Two different journeys with a similar destination: “The Studio of the Tropics” and “Saint-Rémy and the Auvers Plain”

5. What do you want to communicate to the audience through this work? G.I.: We’re not trying to undermine the role of museums and exhibition halls, which is where people should go to discover a painter’s work. Our creative work aims to amplify the emotional aspect of each work by letting the general public engage with it in a multi-sensory, three-dimensional experience. 8

I also want to get the viewers out of a classic passive attitude and draw them into the work, as if they were “actors” on a huge stage. When I see couples dancing in the quarry or children playing with the images on the ground, I feel I have succeeded.

6. You have produced a number of shows at the Carrières du Val d’Enfer. What does the new technological capability of the Carrières offer you as a creator? How will it improve the audience’s experience? G.I.: Technology is no more than a tool. But the better the tool, the more room there is to express ideas and creativity. We now have twice the number of top-of-the-range projectors, and their brightness has been increased. There are now 4000 m² of vertical projection areas, and a new 2000 m² carpet of images has been produced on the floor. All this has required significant IT investment in both hardware and software to keep the show synchronised and manage the room. Audio has been a particular priority, and we now have a top quality multi-channel sound system. These technological developments will create a strong audio visual impact and immerse the audience in the show. Finally, the scenic lighting of the quarry’s “architecture” will allow the audience to admire its beauty between shows.

7. How do you approach the production of a show of this scale? G.I.: The artist’s point of view is the starting point for the work. The artist’s work is spread around the space of the quarry, and members of the audience reconstruct it depending on their position and how they move around. The viewer’s perspective is my starting point as I look at the paintings and the space. For my partners Renato Gatto and Massimiliano Siccardi and myself, the key is first to get to grips with the overall work of the artists from the point of view of both their pictures and their theory. We then do a great deal of selection and iconographical development. The works are then broken down into the different figures and colours that make them up, which we use to construct the animations and visual effect. All this material finds its place in the scenario that we have written beforehand and which forms the show’s narrative journey. The music supports and provides structure to the narrative, gives keys to understanding it and deepens the overall emotional impact. This approach offers each viewer the opportunity to create their own show depending on their level of perception, their movements and their own knowledge.

8. Tell us why we should come and see the show. G.I.: First and foremost, because it will be like dreaming with your eyes open. And to discover – or rediscover – the work of these two exceptional artists, through a total immersion in colour.

The Carrières de Lumières invites visitors on an extraordinary audio visual journey made possible by cutting-edge technological equipment and methods developed by Culturespaces and its multimedia partners.

- The only video equipment of its kind in France : we are now using twice as many projectors in order to cover twice the wall area. It is the largest permanent video installation in France with 70 video projectors, driven by 70 servers projecting images onto a surface area of more than 6,000 m² . The ground is completely covered, too, and becomes a vast carpet of images. Each server delivers a programmed image to its video projector, and it is all synchronised by a production computer that holds this ultimate installation together.

- 3D audio adapted to the specifics of the site. Each speaker covers 45 degrees of wall and broadcasts a more homogenous sound wherever the spectator is.

- The installation of fibre optic cables has revolutionised the installation with smoother image transmission. Each video signal is converted into light using fibre optic technology, and these signals can therefore be carried up to 500 metres, in a higher resolution than Full HD.

- The installation of a complete automatic management system for multi-screen production, sound and lighting.

There is nothing else like this classified natural site with its bespoke technology – just what is needed for a show on this scale.

KEY FIGURES Total surface area of the Carrières: 5000 m² Surface area for projection: 6000 m² (4000 m² on the walls and 2000 m² on the floor) Height of projection : 6 to 14 metres Show duration : 35 minutes Technical equipment: 70 video projectors 22 speakers Number of images projected per show: around 3000

Between each show, visitors can enjoy a five minute show called “Metamorphoses”. This was also created by Gianfranco Iannuzzi, Massimiliano Siccardi and Renato Gatto, and takes us on a journey into elements and matter. This screening transports you inside the Carrières, to the heart of the mineral world; the sequences all link together to explain different elements : earthquake, volcanic eruption, lava flow, ash, clouds, thunderstorms, lightning, heavy rain, sea, waterfalls, tropical forest, flowering plants, right through to stars and outer space. The audience is taken from the infinitely small to the infinitely large , demonstrating the unbelievable technical capabilities of the new equipment.

The significant place given to colour echoes the “Gauguin and Van Gogh, the colour painters” show.

The ‘Val d’Enfer’ is a mysterious place just a stone's throw from Les Baux de Provence, in the heart of the Alpilles. This valley with outstanding solid mineral deposits has long inspired artists. It provides the setting for Dante’s “Divine Comedy”, and Gounod created his opera “Mireille” here. Later, Cocteau came to film “The Testament of Orpheus” in these very quarries. The Carrières du Val d’Enfer has been awarded Natural Monument status in France.

Stone working

The Carrières du Val d’Enfer quarry was created over the years for extracting the white limestone used in the construction of the Chateau and Les Baux. Large-scale stone production in the Saint- Rémy area forced quarry-workers to change mining techniques using hoists and pits leading to the surface. This, and the need for stone in the construction of the medieval Château and Les Baux, is why quarries were opened in this part of the Alpilles. In 1935, economic competition from modern materials led to the closure of the quarries.

The transformation of the Carrières

The Carrières were given a new life thanks to the visionary genius of Jean Cocteau in the 1960s. He was enchanted by the beauty of the place and its surroundings, and decided to film “The Testament of Orpheus” here in 1959.

This transformation was continued in 1977 with the creation of a new project inspired by the research of Joseph Svoboda 1, one of the great scenographers of the second half of the twentieth century, and destinated to enhance this area: the huge rock walls are perfect backdrops for a new kind of sound and light show which fully involves the audience. For over 30 years, the Carrières du Val d’Enfer has hosted these audio visual shows.

In 2011, the town of Les Baux-de-Provence asked Culturespaces to take over management of its famous Carrières under a public service concession agreement. It will be opened to the public on 30 March 2012.

1 Joseph Svoboda had been working on a scenography idea using projected images as early as 1942. The ideas he was developing were well ahead of the technologies available in his time. In 1967, he produced installations for the Czechoslovakian pavilion at the Montreal exhibition including synchronised images from 11 cinema projectors and 28 slide projectors which were projected onto a large number of surfaces.

The different areas of the Carrières

The Picasso entrance This huge area has a stage against the mountain which was used as a set for Jean Cocteau’s final film, “The Testament of Orpheus”. The stage is about ten metres wide and twenty metres high, and is now used for theatre or show performances.

The Dante room The room is the main area where the show is projected. Right of the entrance, a huge gallery goes 60 metres under the mountain and leads into a gigantic hall, divided by huge columns left by the quarry-workers to hold up the “roof”. These natural pillars are between 5 and 10 metres wide at the base, and 7 to 9 metres tall. They are used, as are the walls and the ceiling, as natural projection screens. The surfaces are not perfectly flat or regular, which brings out the relief effect. The audience can move around and discover new angles of vision and perspectives. It is bathed in a world where images light up the ceiling, crawl along the ground and explode on the ridges.

The Cocteau room The 300 m² room only has a partial roof and has large openings all along it. It is used as a reception venue at the Carrières.

The Van Gogh room This 220 m² room with its two large bay openings will host the tea room. Visitors will be able to stop here for refreshments. This area will also be available for evening private hire.

The projection room Extracts from Jean Cocteau’s film “The Testament of Orpheus” and interviews with the director and with Jean Marais, the star of the film, will be screened in this 90 m² area.

Between each show, the Carrières will be progressively lit up so that visitors can discover the intrinsic characteristics of the place and to reveal its mineral beauty. The goal is to show the lines left by the quarry-workers cutting stone and to help the audience understand how they extracted huge cubes of rock. This quiet moment before the show will allow visitors to see the quarry in its natural state.

The ridges on each of the three central pillars will be brought out using a cool white light from above. The walls of the room and corridors will be lit with more diffuse, warmer lighting. Finally, the parts of the quarry that are not accessible to visitors will be lit in order to give the impression that it stretches on into infinity. Neutral colours have been chosen in order to preserve the natural mineral atmosphere of the site.

The progressive lighting uses the DMX system , generally used for controlling dynamic event lighting or stage performances. And the same automated system used for the show controls the lighting.

“Our aim is to help public institutions to present their heritage and develop their reputation in cultural circles and among tourists. We also aim to make access to culture more democratic and help our children discover our history and our civilisation in remarkable cultural sites,” explains Bruno Monnier, CEO.

Culturespaces produces and manages, with an ethical and professional approach, monuments, museums and prestigious historic sites entrusted to it by public bodies and local authorities like the Jacquemart-André Museum in Paris, the Ephrussi de Rothschild and Kérylos Villas on the Côte d’Azur, the Cité de l’Automobile and the Cité du Train in Mulhouse or the Waterloo Battlefield. In the South of France, Culturespaces provides the complete management and the cultural events of the Château des Baux de Provence, the Roman Theatre of Orange and the Amphitheatre of Nîmes, the Maison Carrée and the Tour Magne.

Culturespaces uses modern management methods in its work upgrading spaces and collections, welcoming the general public, managing staff and all services, organising cultural activities and temporary exhibitions and promoting sites at a national and international level.

To ensure that visits are always a pleasure , the Culturespaces teams place quality of reception and cultural enrichment at the heart of all their services to visitors.

With 20 years of experience and 2 million visitors every year , Culturespaces is the leading private organisation managing French monuments and museums, and one of the leading European players in cultural tourism.

Our heritage must be preserved for future generations: that is why every year Culturespaces contributes to financing restoration programmes for the monuments and collections it has been entrusted to look after.

The Culturespaces Foundation, created under the aegis of the Fondation du Patrimoine, has set itself the task of supporting initiatives that give children access to culture.

OPENING TIMES AND RATES

Les Carrières is open every day. The “Gauguin and Van RATES Gogh, the colour painters” show will run from 30 March Individuals 2012 to 6 January 2013. Full rate: € 8,5 / Reduced rate: € 6,5 (children aged 7-17, April to September: 10 a.m-7 p.m / October to March: 10 students, teachers and unemployed) a.m-6 p.m. Free for children under the age of 7. Offers for families All day: Free entry for the second child aged 7 to 17 when two - The “Gauguin and Van Gogh, the colour painters” show: adults and one child entries have been bought. 35 minutes Groups and schools (min 20 people) - The “Metamorphoses” show: 5 minutes Groups: € 6,5 - The lighting up of the quarry: 5 minutes Schools: € 4,5 / Educational workshops: € 14 The book and gift shop is open during the Carrières’ opening hours.

GETTING TO THE CARRIÈRE DE LUMIÈRES

Carrières de Lumières Route de Maillane 13520 Les Baux de Provence Tel.: +33 4 90 54 55 56 www.carrieres-lumieres.com / www.gauguin-vangogh.com

By road : motorway A7 (exit Avignon), A9 (Nîmes) and A54 (Baux-de-Provence). By train : Aix-en-Provence and Avignon TGV stations. By plane : Marseille and Avignon airports.

Paul Gauguin Paul Gauguin Matamoe Two Tahitian Women 1892, oil on canvas, 115 x 86 cm 1899, oil on canvas, 94 x 72,4 cm Musée Pouchkine, Moscou Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York © 2011. Photo Scala, Florence © The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Dist. RMN