Images of the Southern French countryside conjure up images of green, rolling hills and picturesque little villages, bathed in the Mediterranean light; and sure enough, the landscape around Marseille fits the bill. Yet, hidden amongst the leafy nature, are the industrial remnants of an abandoned lead mine, its old stone columns and arches peeking through the trees. This site, known as the Friche de l’Escalette, was bought by art collector and dealer Éric Touchaleaume, who transformed it into a sculpture park in 2016 to display his collection and temporary shows.
Touchaleaume cleverly uses the site’s dramatic existing historical architecture to juxtapose, through carefully curated shows, old and new – combining his passion for modern and contemporary art and modernist architecture, and the soft nature of the land; which provided the perfect architectural setting for our ‘Cast away’ fashion story that appears in Wallpaper’s December 2018 (W* 237) issue.
Touchaleaume likes to juxtapose modern art with nature and the site's historical architecture at the Friche. Archives Galerie 54, Paris
Temporary shows appear every summer and this past one included the resurrection of two rare Jean Prouvé cabins. One was the Pavillion de Lorraine 6x9, which was a ‘model home commissioned just after the Liberation of France by Raoul Dautry, minister for reconstruction, to house families in the Lorraine region whose dwellings had been destroyed by bombing’.
The other was the, perhaps, more well known Cameroun Bungalow, which Prouvé conceived as a ‘tropical habitat for a wet zone’, in metal frame and aluminium facades. The structures will remain on site until summer 2019. Along with the architecture, the park showcases a range of modern art, including pieces by Gerard Lardeur, Parvine Curie and Shamai Haber.
On shoot at Friche de l’Escalette for Wallpaper* December 2018 issue (W* 237). Dress, price on request, by Dušan. Tropical bungalow, 1958-64, by Jean Prouvé & Atelier LWD. Fashion: Isabelle Kountoure
The site has slowly become a staple in the architecture aficionado’s frequent pilgrimages to South France, for its rare combination of the natural and the industrial, the modern and historical. And there will be plenty more to see soon at this cultural venue.
Alongside ongoing works for the preservation of the local architecture and flora, the owners are already working on a new exhibition, slated to debut in the summer, featuring more work by Prouvé, as well as a highly anticipated competition on the theme of the cabanon (the local fishermen's cabins), aiming to celebrate and protect this particular regional typology.
Old meets new in a large scale, outdoors exhibition area.
Touchaleaume likes to juxtapose modern art with nature and the site's historical architecture at the Friche.
One of the latest shows at the Friche de l'Escalette was the summer display of two Jean Prouve cabins; the location where we shot our main December 2018 issue fashion story
INFORMATION
For more information visit the Friche de l’Escalette website
-
How Bureau Betak transformed the runway showPioneering production company Bureau Betak has masterminded some of the most inspiring runway sets of the last 30 years, dazzling both real-life guests and an ever-growing virtual global audience. Hugo Macdonald meets the people behind the magic
-
Vauxhall powers into the future with the all-electric Corsa GSE Vision Gran Turismo conceptA concept designed to capture a new performance sub-brand, the Vauxhall Corsa GSE Vision Gran Turismo is also available to drive in the virtual realm
-
The Melbourne studio rewilding cities through digital-driven landscape design‘There's a lack of control that we welcome as designers’ says Melbourne-based landscape architects, Emergent Studios
-
This cinematic home in Palm Springs sets a new standard for Desert Modern designJill Lewis Architecture and landscape architecture firm Hoerr Schaudt joined forces to envision an exceptional sanctuary
-
Hilborn House, one of Arthur Erickson’s few residential projects, is now on the marketThe home, first sketched on an envelope at Montreal Airport, feels like a museum of modernist shapes, natural materials and indoor-outdoor living
-
Inside a Donald Wexler house so magical, its owner bought it twiceSo transfixed was Daniel Patrick Giles, founder of fragrance brand Perfumehead, he's even created a special scent devoted to it
-
Maison Louis Carré, the only Alvar Aalto house in France, reopens after restorationDesigned by the modernist architect in the 1950s as the home of art dealer Louis Carré, the newly restored property is now open to visit again – take our tour
-
We spent the night at Indian modernists the Kanade brothers' home in NagajIndian modernists the Kanade brothers' home in Nagaj exemplifies their approach to architecture; architect and writer Nipun Prabhakar spends the night and tells the story
-
Meet Ferdinand Fillod, a forgotten pioneer of prefabricated architectureHis clever flat-pack structures were 'a little like Ikea before its time.'
-
The Monthly Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s favourite July housesFrom geometric Japanese cottages to restored modernist masterpieces, these are the best residential projects to have crossed the architecture desk this month
-
A dramatic Brazilian house on a hillside was inspired by the creative passions of its clientTetro Arquitetura has completed a contemporary Brazilian house, combining a linear plan with a dramatic curved roof
