lille3000 returns to celebrate Utopia. The sixth edition of the artistic festival takes place between 14 May and 2 October 2022 in Lille, focusing on nature, in our relationship with the environment and in the bonds that unite the community.

For this huge project, Joana Vasconcelos not only gathered a selection of works for the exhibition at Maison Folie Wazemmes - which received the title of her work Garden of Eden - but also developed two large-scale Valkyries: the first will welcome all travellers arriving at Gare Lille-Flandres and the second communicates directly with the local community. In this last one, the concentration of textile material erupts from the roof and descends vertically, allowing visitors to circulate through this immersive experience. Valkyrie Martha, created for lille3000, incorporates disparate sets of textile elements, where a significant part of the fabrics come from the recycling of clothes donated by young dancers from the Mahatma Company - interpreters of the choreography designed to dialogue with the piece, presented at the opening and which will be reactivated throughout the exhibition by students from Collège Miriam Makeba -, while the crochet/knitting components are the result of VALKYRIE WORKSHOPS held at Maison Folie Wazemmes and Maison Folie Moulins. Therefore, it’s really important to thank the dedication of the participants of each of the associations that made these participatory activities and this collaborative work possible: Cultures du Cœur; GEM, La Belle Journée; GEM Ch’tits Bonheurs; Fondation de l’Armée du Salut; Les Papillons Blancs de Lille; Le Centre Social Albert Jacquard; Le Centre Social Marcel Bertrand; L’ABEJ; L’École Bara Cabanis; SINGA Lille; Entourage Lille; Mission Locale - Regards Jeunes - Garantie Jeunes; Ateliers Libres; Le Gand des Tricoteuses.

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