Come along with us this summer for A Summer in Le Havre 2019 (ed Un été au Havre). In 2017, Le Havre city was celebrating its 500 years, and the city council decided to celebrate it by a big event named “A summer in Le Havre” based around culture, for which are made many works of art. Since then, the city has renewed A Summer in Le Havre in 2018, and once again this year, in 2019. It is the perfect opportunity to come and enjoy a friendly week-end in Le Havre city and discover its architecture, and A Summer in Le Havre’s celebration.
An ephemeral city
Use your hands and get a bit creative with the opening work of art of A Summer in Le Havre 2019: an ephemeral city. Imagined by French artist Olivier Grossetête, the work of art was built from the 1st of June until the 21st with help from Le Havre citizens. It was made out of cardboard, and was assembled between the 22nd to the 29th of June on Quai de Southampton, for the opening ceremony of A Summer in Le Havre 2019 at 10 pm on the 29th. And finally the following afternoon, on Sunday the 30th of June, the ephemeral city was totally destroy.
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Listen, see, andtravel
In Saint Joseph church, Scottish artist Susan Philipsz uses the lighthouse-shaped tower of the church to set up a sound installation with sea sounds, tricking your senses into an aquatic environment. If you are looking for something to do when night comes, look up, just about wherever you are, and you should see two big chimneys towering the city. These two chimneys (part of EDF electrical company) will be brought to life and lit up by an artificial entity made out of white pixels, created by engineer Antoine Schmitt.
You can also travel in time and place without moving from Le Havre City by visiting Narrow House, a work by Erwin Wurm, which looks nothing like a normal house with its deformed dimensions and original aspect. By the same artist, you will find Fatcar which looks like a futuristic distorted car. Both art works contrast with Le Havre’s Perret architecture which is much more symmetrical.
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Sculptures and paintings
When discovering Le Havre city, Brazilian sculptor Henrique Oliveira, fell in love with the Suspended Gardens (ed Les JardinsSuspendus), and chose this place to install his sculpture in connection with the gardens and made out of natural fibres, looking pretty much like big tree roots that come out of the walls and the floor.
Then you can take a stroll in Rue de Paris which starts at the Town Hall (ed Hôtel de Ville) and goes to Quai de Southampton. In and above this street, you will see peculiar human-looking sculptures, made with ceramic by German artist Stephan Balkenhol.
Among these sculptures, the Musée Malraux will host about 90 paintings of a famous painter born in Le Havre: Raoul Dufy. The exhibition presents colourful and cheerful paintings, of landscapes and different scenaries.
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And if you are looking to know more about our city and the history of Le Havre, you can always check out our website beelehavre.com, and perhaps we will meet you on one of our bus tours around Le Havre!
Looking forward to seeing you soon,
Sasha – The Bee LeHavre Team