Culture settles in the heart from the Part-Dieu shopping center In Lyon. “My presence at the La Part-Dieu shopping center, as a cultural assistant for the city of Lyon, may surprise some people, launched Nathalie Perrin-Gilbert, but it turns out that the dialogue with the director of the center Jean-Philippe Pelou-Daniel has been activated, and that we intend to perpetuate a collaboration to give culture its place at La Part-Dieu.”

At the entrance to the Part-Dieu shopping center, a sculpture of more than 7 meters

Indeed, the entrance by the Lantern door (on the “Pencil” tower side) is surprising, at the sight high sculpture of more than 7 meters in polystyrene (on the stone or plaster would believe) by David Post-Kohler, artist born in Annecy, exhibited at Mac de Lyon.

Then we say to ourselves that given the gigantic size of the new entrance hall on this west side, “Stenos” (that’s his work name) fits in perfectly.

A little further, in the heart of the Place des Lyonnais, as the director of the westfield shopping centerthe two sisters of the monumental work sit enthroned in the middle of the shops, arousing the curiosity of passing shoppers, and sometimes stopping: “As a result, it is clear that we will no longer be able to do without it, comments Jean-Philippe Pelou, the sculptures are there for a year, we will quickly have to think about replacing them…”

This is where the collaboration with Isabelle Bertolotti, director of the Lyon contemporary art museumwhich intends to enhance some of the many works retained in the reserves.

© Eric Séveyrat / Lyon visual artist Séverine Dietrich

Colors and patterns in the heart of Westfield Shopping Center

If the sculptures (kinds of giants assembled by body parts) cannot be missed, the colors and patterns of Lyon visual artist Séverine Dietrich imposes itself on the eye when the visitor climbs the escalators towards the terraces, as do the huge photos of Lyon which pleasantly adorn the space.

To set things in motion, the partnership extends to National Conservatory of Music and Dance (CNSMD) of Lyon whose students come to the heart of the shopping center to give free rein to their desire to play, like “at street school” in front of audiences who are not captive by definition, and who must be… captivated.

The Part-Dieu shopping center draws between 36 and 40 million visitors each year, Lyonnais, non-Lyonnais, foreigners… Many are those who do not go spontaneously to culture. Through this, it’s a bit of culture that comes to them.