Aubusson (Creuse). Since the entrance, nothing has changed: geometric volumes, rhythmic and colorful facades that evoke textile materials… It is by going around the building that the new extension of the International Tapestry City is revealed. A sleek concrete block signed by the Projectiles architectural agency, designed to accommodate temporary exhibitions. “This extension was envisaged since the inauguration of the City in 2016. On this plot, there was a boarding school in poor condition, full of asbestos, which was therefore destroyed during the rehabilitation of the place”, explains Alice Bernadac, curator at the Cité Internationale de la Tapisserie. But the late realization of this new space led the City to invest in the premises of the Jean-Lurçat Cultural and Artistic Center for its temporary programming. The museum is then forced to “by the center’s occupancy schedule, the height of its rooms and its location. It is located on the opposite side of the city center, which created a loss of public between the permanent and the temporary. »
Launched in 2021, the call for projects includes very precise specifications: create four spaces devoid of natural light and high ceilings, capable of hosting monumental tapestries. “We didn’t want to add a long building in line with the main building, we needed breathing space between the two! We therefore compacted everything on two levels, to be able to free up the maximum space around it, specifies architect Reza Azard of Projectiles. The most difficult moment was that of the structural work. Numerous bad weather conditions delayed the drying of the concrete, which caused the construction site to be slightly behind schedule. » Started in January 2024, it ends two years later (instead of last summer), without exceeding a budget set at 7.5 million euros, and supported by the joint union of the Cité Internationale de la Tapisserie and subsidized by the State, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region, the Department and the Community of Communes. During the project, which lasted five months, the closure of the City proved necessary to carry out some interventions on the existing: overhaul of the reserves, change of the air conditioning system and construction of a corridor which leads to the future extension.
The extension (left) of the Aubusson International Tapestry City (right) designed by the Projectiles agency.
© Projectiles
In fact, an underground gallery now connects the main building to the 1,600 m² extension, although it can also be visited separately. On the rear block of the building, additional reserves have been set up to be able to keep on site the entirety of the City’s collections – which include a large volume of tapestry boxes – formerly scattered in several storage locations. Above all, there are more than 500 square meters of exhibition spaces, with 6.5 meters of ceiling height for the lower rooms and 8.5 meters for the upper ones, which are added to the permanent exhibition. Estimating its increased reception capacity of more than 1,000 visitors per day in the summer period, the City is therefore revising its attendance ambitions upwards, with a target of 65,000-70,000 visitors per year (compared to 55,000 before extension). A significant figure for the small town of 3,000 inhabitants, whose influence is based on its textile art.
An extension of the permanent route
“The extension was designed in such a way as to naturally extend the route which unfolds in the nave of the hangings”, explains Alice Bernadac. After a journey through the history of Aubusson tapestry from the 15th to the 20th century, the visitor plunges into the heart of contemporary creation. From the astonishing unicorn skin of Nicolas Bulle (born in 1978), covered with popular references, to the tapestry cartoon taken from a drawing by Philippe Druillet (born in 1944), including the contemplative installation Yew by Pascal Haudressy (1968-2021) which combines tapestry and video projection: the temporary journey focuses on diversity and immersion. “With this first exhibition, the idea was to show the public pieces from our continually growing contemporary collection, and to present current projects, explains Alice Bernadac. This program of temporary exhibitions will be quite varied, and not necessarily focused on contemporary creation. For the next one, we will bring back “Le Chant du monde” (a set of 10 panels) by Jean Lurçat in Aubusson. But we can also organize exhibitions with a historical theme, including on ancient tapestry. »
It is also in the extension that pride of place will be reserved for two monumental tapestries, currently being produced within the City. Exceptional both in its technicality and its format (23 m long), a tapestry in homage to the novelist George Sand will be unveiled in June, at the end of two years of work carried out by the Robert Four Manufacture. Imagined by the artist Françoise Pétrovitch (born in 1964), it will be accompanied by its own self-supporting structure so that it can be presented in different configurations, freeing itself from the wall. Just as impressive with its color chart of 346 colors, the monumental tapestry The Napby Mei and Totorowhich is part of a cycle of hangings dedicated to the world of director Hayao Miyazaki, will be revealed in July.
