Somewhat “antidote”, the theme of celebration and leisure is at the heart of the exhibition proposed on the exterior walls of the Archives of the City of Avignon.

The upheaval we are living in has seen the emergence of expressions such as “clandestine parties”, “wild aperitifs” and “cluster party”. The parties organized despite government and prefectural bans have become national news items and the stubbornness to party in times of pandemic questioned. Do these celebrations possess a serious unconsciousness for a “non-essential” superfluity? Is the party rather, like laughter, specific to man, as well as the symbol of “a life drive in a deadly context”?

In the context of the “third deconfinement”, the exhibition proposes to draw a “faceted portrait” of celebration and leisure through the ages, which the documents kept in the City Archives allow exploration. It will be a question of questioning the known changes that the festivals have, the various initiators and their intentions (in particular the communicational and political dimension of the festival), the established or more spontaneous character, without forgetting to be interested in the notion supervision, regulation, even prohibition, as well as the “excesses” that may accompany them.

The iconography is at the center of this kaleidoscopic approach, inviting the visitor to an immersion in the joyful atmospheres, the crowds, the processions. The selection is wide. It reveals relatively few finds in terms of the intimacy of private celebrations and reveals more of the festive times that take place in the public space. An appeal to the inhabitants to collect photographs, old or more contemporary, of celebrations could make it possible to enrich the archive collections and the collective memory.

Municipal archives of Avignon

6 rue Saluzzo – 84000 Avignon
04 90 86 53 12

The exhibition takes over the walls of the Archives building (Court des Archives, rue Saluces, rue du Mont-de-piété and rue de la Croix).

Exhibition catalog Parties and spoilsports (published fall 2021). 10€

Exhibition of June 21, 2021 – May 18, 2022, extended until September 14, 2022

Courtyard opening:

• Monday: 10 a.m.-12 p.m. / 1:30 p.m.-5 p.m.
• Tuesday to Friday: 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m. / 1:30 p.m.-5 p.m.

The panels offered on the street side are accessible 7 days a week and 24 hours a day.

Free and free access

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