Cultural venue opens in Neuchâtel

Le Regard Libre N° 20 - Jonas Follonier

Right in the center of Neuchâtel, in one of the many beautiful buildings of this esteemed city, it's not a residential apartment, an open space or a massage salon that has just opened its doors, but a space fitted out by local young people anxious to create a cultural space. And not just any cultural space. Neither elitist nor alternative, Lokart's vocation is to serve as a venue for the creation and presentation of all forms of art. During the inauguration weekend on August 27 and 28, I had the opportunity to chat with one of the founding members of the artistic collective.

Le Regard LibreWhere did the idea of creating such a facility come from?

Mehdi Berdai: The origins clearly lie in shared interests in culture, particularly in Neuchâtel. The nucleus was created around dance, with Héloïse Marcacci and myself. Other people soon showed an interest in our project: Virginia Eufemi and Thierry Fivaz, both passionate about theater, cinema and pictorial art; Lisa Mazenauer, interested in photography and the approach to the body; and Sacha Dubois, who later joined us and brought the theatrical dimension.

This room we're in seems to me to be a dream location for lovers of cultural evenings and debates (I'm one of them). What will it be used for?

First of all, we're going to use it to give classes in areas where we have some experience. Héloïse will teach Oriental dance and tribal fusion, while I'll teach ballet. Body-building lessons will be offered by both of us. The room can also be used for discussion evenings, book openings and so on. Finally, the room has cinematographic potential, as it has a screen. Of course, the studio can also be used by other companies and associations.

What about the financial aspect?

We are very grateful to the City of Neuchâtel, which has agreed to contribute to the first six months' rent. This financial contribution is renewable, with a view to possible collaboration with the City for its own cultural events. Of course, we'd be delighted to become financially independent: state support is an opportunity, but it's not the goal! As for the rest of the rent, we're able to pay it thanks to sublets from several people and organizations who come in, for example, to give classes at certain times of the week. We knew in May 2016 that we would have the premises. Héloïse and I carried out the renovation work. A lot of thought also had to go into it.

What are your current projects?

Our first aim now is to find a cruising rhythm. Classes start tomorrow, Monday August 29. Registration for the various courses and workshops is in the form of a subscription, with boxes that we tick off as we go along. Things are off to a slow start, but we know that's to be expected. To give you a concrete example of a project outside the classroom, in two weeks' time we're going to start preparing an interartistic show based on an oral text. Joining us will be a director and an actor from Lausanne, as well as a dancer from Zurich.

Are you optimistic about the future? This question is absurd, because you have to answer «yes», but I'm interested in how you'll go about it.

Optimism is necessary in this kind of project, indeed. But it's all the more present because we've been so lucky so far. Héloïse has a gift: she always manages to achieve what we never thought she would. What's more, our collective is made up of very different people, in the sense that they complement each other: that's a real asset for the future. Finally, as we've already said, the location we've chosen lends itself to many different types of activity. So we're optimistic and, what's more, impatient for things to get moving!

Write to the author: jonas.follonier@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © Le Lokart