“Providing access to art with a breathtaking view”: near La Rochelle, a bunker transformed into a cultural venue

Around 80,000 walkers pass by each year, probably without paying much attention to it. At the port of La Pelle de Marsilly (Charente-Maritime), about ten kilometers north of La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime), an Atlantic Wall bunker bordering this coastal path is starting a new life. Located in the heart of the Aiguillon Bay nature reserve, it becomes Champs Libre, a place “for art and culture between fields and ocean”, open to all. An inauguration day officially marks this transformation this Saturday, October 5, 2024, from 10 a.m., with open-air artistic installations, a culinary workshop, collective podcast listening and concerts.

The metamorphosis of this well-preserved bunker from the Second World War is the idea of ​​Thibaud Retailleau and Vincent Lassègue, co-founders of the cultural association Champs libre. Originally from La Rochelle and Marsilly respectively, these two friends moved to Paris for professional reasons. “We had the dream of developing a new place of creation in our home port, motivated by the desire to offer an exceptional place for artists, accessible to all and free. This allows us to provide access to art with a breathtaking view,” describes Thibaud Retailleau.

Lively all year round

This atypical site belongs to the Vincent Lassègue family, and offers a total surface area of ​​2,570 m2 including an adjoining field. “These spaces offer so many creative possibilities for the artist who wishes to seize them and mark the horizon,” underlines the co-founder. Five contemporary artists are taking part in this “first experimental edition”: four visual artists (Birgit Mollemeier, Anaïs Marion, Victor Cord’homme, Delphine Gigoux-Martin) and a duo of sculptors (MADNEOM, composed of Floria Lunet and Benjamin Henry) .

Practical: the Champs libre bunker is located at 26, rue de la Carrelère du port de la Pelle, in Marsilly.