The start of the school year is a highlight of the Parisian cultural scene, during which Nuit Blanche stands out as an unmissable event.
This year, the 2019 edition (the 18th edition) will be held on the night of this Saturday, October 5th from 7:00 PM until 6:00 AM the next morning. As for me, I will be in Paris for once, so I am offering you an article on the subject again this year with my selection of things to see and do.
This edition, titled “The Great Crossing,” aims to get artists and the public moving throughout Paris by inviting participants to run through the streets of the capital. It will be a bit different from previous editions and will offer several “highlights”.
- The Walking Artists who will cross the city in a participatory performance from 7:00 PM to 2:00 AM.
- The Parade from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM featuring around fifteen monumental artworks that will march from the Place de la Concorde to the Place de la Bastille.
- The Velodrome from 7:00 PM to 6:00 AM with the opening of a section of the ring road (périphérique) to cyclists and pedestrians. As a bonus, the Vélib’ Porte de Pantin station will be dedicated to everyone who wants to go to the Velodrome, and for any subscription to a V-Libre pass (€0), one hour of free riding on the ring road will be offered.
- 2 free 10 km night races, but registrations for these races are unfortunately already full, I believe.
- 5 stations (center, north, south, east, and west) scattered throughout the city with activities and exhibitions in various locations.
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Table of Contents
Musée de l’Armée Hôtel des Invalides
For its second participation in Nuit Blanche, the Musée de l’Armée at the Invalides, specially illuminated for the occasion, invites participants on a Great Crossing of French history through the Invalides Dome. Two concerts will also be performed at the Saint-Louis Cathedral.
The Saint-Louis Cathedral will host the Republican Guard harmony orchestra for a major concert at 8:00 PM. It is an opportunity to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the death of Hector Berlioz (1803-1869), to the sound of his Funeral and Triumphal Symphony, created to accompany the grand military procession during the anniversary of the 1830 Revolution. At 10:00 PM, tuba students from the Paris Conservatory and their teachers will perform the great names of the repertoire.
It will also be an opportunity to come and discover the exhibition The Canons of Elegance in a preview before its official opening on October 10th!
Musée de l'Armée 129 Rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris Saturday, October 5th from 7:00 PM to 2:00 AM (last access at 1:00 AM)
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Musée des Archives Nationales
Musée des Archives NationalesFor Nuit Blanche 2019, following “Devant Le Son”, Laurent Domingos continues his work on states of trance and creates an immersive experience, halfway between a monumental ephemeral installation and live performance, featuring dancers and actors.
The 20 artists forming the structure will take the public toward different realities, through movements of distortion, the deformation of space and time, and the disruption of their senses. An organic musical creation, produced live and generated from the public’s movements, will dictate its law to Time, and a bridge of video images will be edited at the exact moment thanks to the phantom traces of all the visitors’ movements throughout the night.
Archives Nationales 60 rue des Francs-Bourgeois 75003 Paris
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Canadian Cultural Centre
On the program for this evening: a retrospective of animated short films produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), a jazz concert with trumpeter Jacques Kuba Séguin, as well as guided tours of the Centre’s new exhibition: “Déplacements” by multidisciplinary artist Dominique Blain. And to round off this evening, you can also have a drink at the Canada Café!
Program:
- 7:00 PM – 12:00 AM: exhibition tours in the presence of the curator and continuous screening
- 8:00 PM: Concert by Jacques Kuba-Séguin upon reservation. Click here to listen to an excerpt!
Canadian Cultural Centre Saturday, October 5th from 7:00 PM to midnight 130, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré 75008 Paris
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Cité des sciences et de l’industrie / Palais de la découverte
Cité des sciences et de l’industrie / Palais de la découverteThe Cité des sciences et de l’industrie and the Palais de la découverte are participating for the second time in the Nuit Blanche artistic itinerary.
On the program: a participatory project that brings together art and the environment throughout the indoor and outdoor spaces of the Cité, with performances, a giant participatory workshop, an immersive sound experience, and a forest of 200 trees.
For info, the Cité des sciences et de l’industrie & the Palais de la découverte also offer a completely free weekend on October 5th and 6th as part of the Fête de la Science, with a program focused on experimentation including over fifty activities: demonstrations, interactive workshops, etc.
The Palais de la découverte will open its doors between 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM to runners participating in “The Great Crossing”.
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Institut des Cultures d’Islam
For Nuit Blanche, the ICI is highlighting Randa Maroufi’s project Barbès – The Intruders series. An exclusive video of this project will be screened in the ICI patio. With the Barbès – The Intruders project, the ICI and artist Randa Maroufi want to unite residents around a work about sharing public space between women and men.
Alongside this event, the exhibition “L’œil et la nuit” (The Eye and the Night) will be accessible at both of the Institute’s sites until 12:30 AM.
Finally, as part of this exceptional evening, the Patio (ephemeral bar) and the Table Ouverte (ICI restaurant and tea room) will welcome the public until 12:30 AM.
Institut des Cultures d'Islam Saturday, October 5th from 8:00 PM to 1:00 AM Free admission subject to availability
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Musée Picasso
The Musée national Picasso-Paris invites live performance into residence. For this occasion, choreographer and dancer Yaïr Barelli has taken on the subject and the works of the exhibition “Picasso. Magic Paintings” to incorporate them into his creative process.
For Nuit Blanche, he offers an adaptation of “Sur l’interprétation – titre de l’instant” (On interpretation – title of the moment), a work on the materiality of performance, which seeks to reveal its beauty and vital potential. The piece is constructed with the context of the representation and is generated by pre-recorded instructions. The public is at the heart of this construction, watches the show being woven before their eyes, and can influence it.
Musée Picasso 5 Rue de Thorigny, 75003 Paris Free exhibition "Picasso. Magic Paintings" Public access starting at 6:00 PM / ATTENTION last entries at 10:30 PM Free show / museum garden / 6:30 PM - 10:30 PM Access reserved for Great Crossing participants starting at 11:00 PM
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The good tip: to travel from one neighborhood to another, the RATP is setting up a special service for Nuit Blanche, with certain lines running all night long, and free of charge (between 2:15 AM and 5:30 AM)!
