In common imagination, the infrastructure for a new subway construction involves only engineering and technology, in a grey and noisy site. For its new metro, yet, Paris seems ready to impress the world with a big bet on art and culture.
Grand Paris Express: the largest open air art gallery worldwide
# Artists, performers and creators
Maxi project “Grand Paris Express” consists of a network of four subway lines, forming a ring around Paris. Yet, the “Société du Grand Paris” – in charge for realization – involved not only engineers and workmen. Artists, performers and inventors will give their own contribution, to qualifying the urban spaces and make those come alive.
# Cultural and artistic events will go with the construction
From opening date of the first worksite in 2016 until the conclusion scheduled in 2030, alongside the construction stands a rich program of cultural and artistic events. All will directly touch the territories affected, involving more than 200 performers from different countries and cultures, and sharing their art with nearly 200,000 spectators.
Mr. Thierry Dallard, Chairman of “Société du Grand Paris” Board of Directors, spoke about the project. “The idea is to draw the map of a capital more open to the world, where the metro stations become the new entrance doors to the Greater Paris”.
Mr. José-Manuel Gonçalvès, artistic and cultural director of the Grand Paris Express, echoed. “The Grand Paris Express construction sites are an innovative space to participate in the creation of the city of the future. They will be based on a strong cultural project that emphasizes the characteristics of the connected territories, thanks to the metro”.
# A glance at cultural initiatives
One of the most impressive artistic initiatives who impacted the project was in 2019, during “Horizon 2030” event. On that occasion, more than 40,000 visitors came to visit the exhibition dedicated to the architecture and design of the 68 stations of the new metro.
The cultural program, however, will keep going. The construction sites are targeted to become real open-air museums, showing up international artists works. This creative wave would also affect the future train path, aiming at the creation of the planet’s largest open-air art gallery.
Although social initiatives has slowed down during the pandemic, major events are already planned for the autumn. They will celebrate the work that rewrites, in a sustainable way, the mobility of Paris. There will be a half marathon around the route of the future line, and moments of debate and concerts, nourishing the new soul of the city.
The Grand Paris Express, so, is not just an example of a great investment – about 28 billion euros – to improve travel and everyday life in Paris. An important project, too, dedicated to sustainable mobility and urban re-qualification through art, as a gift for future generations.
LAURA MALTAGLIATI
(Original article by Matteo Guardabassi)
