EXHIBITION ARCHITECT FERNAND POUILLON
This multi-faceted event and exhibition explored the extraordinary life and heritage of Fernand Pouillon. The exhibition, which occupied the chateau as well as the village of Belcastel, was dedicated to the life and architecture of Fernand Pouillon spanning the countries of France and Algeria; displaying not only what was created, but also what remains to be discovered.
Pouillon’s legacy is a diverse and complex body of work, from the reconstruction of the Old Port of Marseille to the remarkable achievements in Aix-en-Provence and unique public projects in Algeria and outside of Paris. Fernand Pouillon preferred to use stone as a primary material in both restoration and construction projects. Facades and openings were created with great care, shapes formed with clear and comprehensible contours, lending an often-grandiose presence to monumental spaces. During the architect’s lifetime, his architecture was considered to belong to another time in history, sometimes the past, but primarily the future.
Organized by the Association “L’Heritage de Fernand Pouillon” and Château de Belcastel, the project was supported by the Aveyron Department of Tourism, the Occitanie Région with the Ministry of Culture, the Village of Belcastel, and various corporate sponsors. An immersive experience throughout the château consisting of audio recordings, film, artifacts, and contemporary artwork revealed an intimate portrayal of the man and his legacy.
Within Château de Belcastel, different components of the exhibition, all imbued with the same spirit of Fernand Pouillon’s work, created synergy to push beyond established boundaries of history and tradition, and by looking to the past for inspiration, imagine new possibilities for the future.
HOMAGE TO FERNAND POUILLON
FUTUR COMPOSÉ poses the question, who was this man, Fernand Pouillon, who lived in the limelight, forging a life that impacted generations of people in so many places? Certainly, he was an important architect who made major contributions in the 20th century, and also a celebrity who rubbed elbows with many important people of the world. And yet, here was a man thrown to the dogs, a contemporary martyr, slandered in the court of public opinion in a baseless scandal. Voices from the past reveal an astonishing story.
What distinguishes Fernand Pouillon from his peers is that he was a humanist architect who held the belief that housing should be accessible to all.
“... I have always placed the architectural work at the service of the man, the social spirit and the economy.” - Fernand Pouillon
At the Chateau de Belcastel, the steps of the architect resonate. The fortress is rich with the spirit of Pouillon because the monumental restoration that he resurrected from a ruin was a work of epic love. The castle stands today as the realization of his life’s dream. Fernand Pouillon passed away in his château in 1986, and today rests below it, behind the chapel of Belcastel.
Looking at the past through the eyes of Fernand Pouillon we can discover solutions for public housing challenges that exist today. Through the grace of one man’s vision, we have evidence that can provide solutions for tomorrow’s overcrowded world.
EXHIBITION STÉPHANE COUTURIER
“Living Architecture” is the title of Stéphane Couturier’s exhibition at the Château de Belcastel. It occupies the principal gallery with a collection of limited edition photographs depicting a singular view of one of the public housing projects designed and built by Fernand Pouillon in Algeria during the mid-fifties.
One of these images, captured 60 years later, is now presented 25 meters high on the dungeon of the castle in full-scale. This facade of Diar es Saada, (The City of Happiness), includes the iconic totem by French, modern sculptor/ artist Jean Amado.
“In 2011, when I first set foot in Algeria, I was shocked by the visual complexity of this unique country, and astonished at the housing projects built by Fernand Pouillon. After immersing myself for nearly six years to explore and photograph the structures and their colorful embellishments, my understanding was quite like a kaleidoscopic vision of the climate of France and the model Algerian cities where Pouillon built humanist communities. By exploring the different photographs and videos, each specatator has the opportunity to restore some moments of these places, which Fernand Pouillon said “For the first time perhaps in modern times, human beings were installed in a monument, and those people who were the most poor people in poor Algeria understood it.” - Stéphane Couturier
THE FRANÇOIS MITTERAND GLOBE
In the XVIIth century, the renowned cosmographer Vincenzo Coronelli created two globes for King Luis XIV of France. They depict the latest information of French explorations in North America, and Coronelli spent a full two years to construct them in Paris, where they now remain on permanent exhibition at the Bibliothèque Nationale François Mitterrand. Each of them measures 384 cm in diameter, and together they weigh approximately two tons!
Approximately 40 of these globes were made, all with the same contemporary twists. Modern cartography was added, and a portrait of Mitterrand surrounded by all his titles and insignia. The President's hometown of Jarnac and Pouillon’s home in the village of Belcastel are both marked in France as if they were as big as Paris.
Mitterrand kept the globe in his office at the Élysée for many years during his presidency, during which time he gifted many from France to heads of state around the world.
MEDIA
FILM ll “Inhabited Architecture”, directed and produced by Marie Claire Rubinstein was screened in the village of Belcastel. The 52 minute film offers an intimate look at the man behind the architect. This insightful documentary features friends and colleagues who share their experiences and discuss with great emotion their relationships with Fernand Pouillon, whom they referred to as “the boss.”
AUDIO ll “The Pouillon Scandal”: Curated by the President of the Association, Roger Fabry. Presented in an exhibition space within the prison, visitors were immersed in the sensational trial through a collection of original headlines of the time, and through original archived interviews and radio news. Visitors discovered the historic trial of Fernand Pouillon and the pandemonium that ensued and enthralled a nation. The outrageous conviction and incredible story that unfolded reveals the intimate life of the insulted man in the face of loneliness, and the prisoner who escaped before being elevated to the rank of Officer of the Legion of Honor.