Initially, in 2017, it was a simple association created by nine friends, fresh from the European School of Image. Its expertise in the technical production of exhibitions – video, lighting, wooden construction, etc. – was quickly recognized.
At the head of the Martell Foundation in Cognac, Nathalie Viot called on her in 2020 for her “Places to be” design event. The construction sites then continued. Specializing in contemporary art, the structure opened up to events, took its first steps at the Comic Strip Festival in 2022. And the friends finally became partners within the company that they set up in May 2023.
“It’s a really cool job. We have a privileged contact with the works that we install,” says Victor Derudet, formerly of Fine Arts, who discovered a passion for carpentry during his studies at Eesi.
The new general manager of the Comic Strip Festival
At 32 years old, originally from Haute-Savoie, the president of Cobble is, this year, the new general manager of the Comic Strip Festival. He succeeds Bruno Pujat, who held this position for around twenty years. A lot of pressure “because there are a lot of people and a lot of exhibitions”. Nine, in total, to be set up by January 29.
Its mission, summarized in a few words: “to realize artistic intentions [de ses clients]order the equipment according to regulations, make sure that it stands up, that everything fits on time, on time and within a certain budget. »
The next four weeks promise to be more than busy. Victor Derudet will be able to breathe “once all the bulbs are lit after the last electrical connections”.
“Throwing away 6,000 screws that have only been used once is inconceivable. »
In the meantime, it is in their workshop on rue Raoul-Verlet, in the Saint-Cybard district, that this is happening. This is where all the decor elements are built. The partners have an interest in getting active: the room is not heated.
Jack of all trades, these exhibition pros are also the kings of “recipes from the bottom of the fridge”. With leftovers, they work wonders. Just take a look at the wooden cabin and the four-meter-long paper plane installed for the FLBLB exhibition, at the Vaisseau Moebius. “It didn’t cost us a penny. »
A workshop also open to individuals
Their adage: nothing is thrown away, everything is transformed. “At the end of an exhibition, we hardly ever go to the recycling center. We store everything. This allows us to then work with smaller structures for less money. The scenographies are based on what we have in stock,” explains Victor Derudet. “And everyone is there. A festival that produces 14 to 18 tonnes of waste over four days is no longer possible; throwing away 6,000 screws that have only been used once is inconceivable. »
As a result, the workshop is a veritable recycling of exhibition materials: wooden battens, screws, partitions, paint, moldings, carpet scraps… You can find everything there. And even, in recent weeks, bits of scenery from the film “Sarah Bernhardt, The Divine”, released on December 18. “It was a friend who brought it here,” slips Victor Derudet.
“We are not really identified as a resource center. We only communicated with the people we work with” but word of mouth works well within their network. Good to know: the place is also open to individuals who have specific needs on a construction site.
Comic bubbles have started to pop up in town
The bubbles, which will welcome hundreds of authors and publishers and thousands of comic book fans at the end of January in Angoulême, have started to grow in the city. That of Manga city, located right next to Halle 57, in the L’Houmeau district, has completely emerged from the ground. No more parking on the driveways of New York: equipment has also started to arrive between the theater and city hall. In Saint-Martial and Champ-de-Mars, construction sites will start as soon as the Christmas market and the funfair have cleared up, at the end of the weekend.
