The City of Lights rarely lives up to its name as well as by organizing its famous Nuit Blanche. On the occasion of the 23rd edition of the nocturnal artistic event, the Paris town hall has decided to honor the French overseas territories. On Saturday June 1, the capital will offer numerous artistic installations throughout the city, but also beyond its borders, notably in its suburbs, in Rouen (Seine-Maritime) and in Overseas Territories.
Funded to the tune of one million euros by the Paris Council, Paris 2024 and sponsorship, this free event open to all will highlight contemporary creations in emblematic Parisian places. It will also mark the longest White Night in history, since it will start where the sun rises earliest in France, in New Caledonia, and end where the sun sets latest on the ground. French, in Polynesia.
More than a hundred demonstrations in the capital
Butte Montmartre, Belleville, the Carreau du Temple… In the capital, the artistic compositions overseen by Claire Tancons, artistic director of the event, will take over several essential places through more than a hundred events. More than 150 will be held in the Greater Paris Metropolis.
Thirteen artistic projects will make up the official Parisian route. “The idea was to start it in the east of Paris, in Belleville Park, then arrive in the center with performances at the Hôtel de Ville, at the Carreau du Temple or even the historic library of Paris , to finish in the west of the capital near Square Galliera, via Montmartre,” explains Claire Tancons. A nod to the six time zones that will be crossed during this event which will extend across the planet. Here are some examples of the artistic creations to discover there.
“We Will Not Bow”, by Marlon Griffith, the water genius at Belleville Park
The poetic performance by Trinidadian artist Marlon Griffith, “We Will Not Bow”, will open the Nuit Blanche ball with a first performance at 6 p.m. at Belleville Park (20th century). Centered around global issues linked to access to water, the artist and Japanese resident uses the figure of the kappa, Japanese water genius, to illustrate the reality of populations living in Mayotte. For an hour, performers will wander around the water points of the Parisian green space.
“WELEE!!! », by Kenny Dunkan, tropical atmosphere of the Town Hall in République
The artist of Guadeloupean origin Kenny Dunkan will offer his performance “WÉLÉLÉ!!!” in the heart of the capital. » which will put the spotlight on skiing. Several dozen skaters will “turn into human beatboxers” during a stroll that will leave from Place de l’Hôtel de Ville (4th) to Place de la République (10th).
Participants will be equipped with sound skateboards which will emit bird songs or even the croaking of frogs to “restore the atmosphere of the tropical night and show the multicultural dimension of the new Olympic sport”.
An athletic dimension which will also be omnipresent since this night will mark the start of the festivities and cultural celebrations which will precede and surround the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Thus, like Kenny Dunkan’s parade, several artistic representations of the Nuit Blanche are part of the Cultural Olympiad, a multidisciplinary artistic program which takes place before and during the Games, until September 8.
“Celestial Déboulé” by Raphaël Barontini, a musical battle
The artist Raphaël Barontini who, in 2023, has already taken over the Pantheon for an exhibition paying tribute to the heroes of the fight against slavery, will also be there, this time with a stroll through the streets of Paris. Loosely inspired by the Hosay of Trinidad and Tobago, a commemorative festival of a thousand colors, this parade features the fight between the Moon and the Sun at the center of this ritual of Hindu origin creolized in the Caribbean, through a battle between two music groups.
“Virtuoso Knight”, by Romuald Grimbert-Barré and Johana Malédon, choreography at Carreau du temple
This creation presented at the Carreau du Temple (Paris Center) combines baroque music, contemporary dance and fencing around the singular destiny and work of the historical figure of Joseph Bologne de Saint-George. Better known as the Knight of Saint-George, this Guadeloupean composer, fencer and musician was born a slave before becoming a free man and charming all of Paris in the Age of Enlightenment, thanks to his artistic and sporting career.
“The Mirror Is You”, by Edgar Arceneaux, giant installation at the Arènes de Montmartre
Spectators will be able to discover at the Montmartre arenas (18th century), in this small garden perched on one of the slopes of the Montmartre hill, a monumental pictorial installation on canvas by Edgar Arceneaux. “The broken mirrors of personal and collective human destiny” will mingle with the drama of human migration guided by a story about the great migration of the long Creole lineage from which this American artist descends, from Acadia to California via Louisiana , to open up a broader reflection on contemporary diasporic movements.
“Everything has been thought of so that spectators can discover as many projects as possible, but you will have to be ready,” smiles Claire Tancons. The artistic director promises some nice surprises to discover between now and the big day.
White Night in Paris, Saturday June 1st.
