The new Frank Gehry designed tower opens to the public on Saturday 26 June.
Long-time Aixcentric followers will have read about the development of the old SNCF railway sheds and shunting yards into LUMA Arles, a stylish arts centre, funded by Swiss industrialist and art-lover Maja Hoffman.
Hopefully the photo below will give you an idea of the scale of the ‘Parc des Ateliers’ site: the large building with the blue-grey roof was a factory for making engines, and has been open for a couple of years for exhibitions. Then there are various industrial buildings which were being converted when we visited, and past them (to the left of the photo), the new tower designed by US Architect Frank Gehry. The whole 20-acre site will be a centre for studios, workshops, research, exhibitions, and link into the annual ‘Les Rencontres d’Arles’ photography show which takes over every square inch of space in the old town each summer, barring pandemics.
Reservations are necessary.
Full details are here: https://mailchi.mp/ae2aa955220b/j-8806802?e=22370d79db
After some months of absence, Aix’s cultural ‘Agenda’ has made a welcome return. For May, it will be digital only, but the plan is for the June issue to be printed as normal.
Easter Sunday Mass was celebrated at ‘La grotte de Sainte-Baume’ at the weekend to formally re-open
