le corbusier's brutalist church in firminy hosts interactive 'let's move in the city' exhibition

DREAM’s scenography interacts with Le Corbusier’s site in Firminy

Unfolding within and outside the brutalist Saint-Peter’s Church on Le Corbusier site in Firminy, France, Let’s Move in the City! exhibition explores the intersection of sports and architecture in the city of tomorrow. Designed by Paris-based architectural firm DREAM, the space offers a multisensory experience through interactive scenography.

Let’s Move in the City transforms the concrete interior, designed by the renowned architect, into a lively and dynamic space adorned with objects inspired by athletic settings. Various colorful installations depicting elements typically found in sports fields, such as grass and bleachers, or scenes from fitness centers, like boxing arenas, invite visitors to interact with the structures and unleash their inner child. Alongside these installations, the exhibition hosts a collection of archive images, photographs, videos, and models by 21 artists, architects, and photographers, including Martin Parr, Fred Mortagne, Kevin Couliau, and Marine Peixoto.

image © Site Le Corbusier

Let’s Move in the City examines the Future of Sports in urban areas

With the approaching Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Let’s Move in the City! explores themes crucial to territorial strategies and important to the philosophy of the Paris-based firm, such as health, leisure, social bonds, and the environment. It particularly focuses on two design approaches: low-carbon construction and reuse. For DREAM, sport represents a unique program of architectural creation that contributes to urban improvement. It serves as a means of promoting social and generational diversity. In increasingly dense cities, sport becomes a matter of public health. The team seeks to challenge traditional institutional forms of sports spaces by integrating low-carbon solutions like wood into their thinking.

the exhibition dialogues with the architecture of the Saint-Peter’s Church on Le Corbusier site in Firminy | image © Fondation Le Corbusier

The exhibition was developed in collaboration with Francois-Emmanuel Vigneau, an architect, doctor in geography and planning, an expert in urban sports, and a former athlete. Additionally, eleven students from ENSASE collaborated with DREAM during a three-week on-site workshop to assist with the exhibition’s setup. Through a didactic and engaging journey, DREAM aims to offer visitors accessible scientific insights into the future prospects and challenges of sports in the city.

the exhibition addresses topics such as health, leisure, and the environment | image © Camille Gharbi

colorful installations juxtapose with the concrete interior | image © Pierre Desrumeaux SN

image © Pierre Desrumeaux SN

along with the installations, the space hosts images, photographs, videos, and models by 21 artists, architects, and photographers | image © Camille Gharbi

image © Camille Gharbi

image © Camille Gharbi

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the team seeks to challenge traditional institutional forms of sports spaces | image © Camille Gharbi

image © Camille Gharbi

image © Camille Gharbi

project info:

name of the exhibition: Let’s move in the city! Sport and architecture for tomorrow

design: DREAM | @dream_dimitriroussel

exhibition curation: Geraldine Dabrigeon, Site Le Corbusier Director and curator, Margaux Chataigner, in charge of the exhibitions, in collaboration with Dimitri Roussel and Francois-Emmanuel Vigneau

dates: ongoing until January 14, 2024

location: Le Corbusier’s Saint-Peter church in Firminy, France