1 – PRESENTATION

Since 1992, the University Lille 1 develops a cultural policy, dealing with the links between art, science and culture, and mobilizes the academic community along with educative, institutional and associative partners.

The aims of this policy are :

• To make the university an open place of reflection, exchange and to be initiative in cultural issues concerning the debates in the junction of knowledge, art and education
• To allow the academic world to confront itself with the society and debate the social, cultural and ethical value of this research through the promotion of scientific, technical and artistic research
• To offer the audience necessary elements to enlighten the public and political debate dealing with knowledge and technology, so that everyone could build his own vision of the world. To develop such a founding culture of the democracy and the common good. This confrontation leads to a mutual enrichment of university and society
• To engage the whole academic community in the realization of this project along with its different educational, institutional or associative partners
• To participate in the fulfilment of individuals in their relationship with society, world and life

This policy results in :

• The setting up of a place of reflection, exchange and debate : “l’Espace Culture”
• Promotion of scientific culture towards a large audience
• Preservation and promotion of the scientific academic heritage
• Development of cultural exchanges, national and international
• Sensitization to the most contemporary forms of arts
• Supporting the amateur practice of arts, independent or supervised by professionals
• Promoting the realization of associations’ projects

The cultural project contributes to confirm the place of the university in the center of the metropolis and to take part in its international influence.

To realize this project :

The Espace Culture is the cultural service of the University Lille 1. The Espace Culture’s is composed of 15 people engaged in the cultural policy of the university. The different cultural actions take place in a 1500 square meters specific cultural complex, based in the core of the campus and opened freely to everyone.

The originals features of this complete cultural project are :

• to claim the university as a producer of culture
• to spread a quality intellectual content
• to deal with all aspects of a subject in a consistent programming during a year
• to use traditional media as well as new technologies to reach a wide audience

Organization of the thematic activity

Cultural Orientation Council
evaluates and gives direction
       ↓

Topics, scientific, philosophical,
societal subjects
       ↓

• Scientific Committee proposes :
  →Reflection : conferences, meetings, study days, symposium, summer university
  → Production of pedagogical scientific expositions
• Piloting Committee proposes :
  → Artistic broadcasting, reads, performances
  → Exhibition of Contemporary art, workshops, plastic arts meeting-workshops
• Editorial Committee proposes :
  →Editing the journal Archimedes’news, internet website, collective books

       ↓

The Espace Culture’s staff carries out !

2 - MEDIAS

An art and science project

The scientific knowledge point of view and the sensitive view of art, meet in this cultural project. So, researchers and artists work together to conceive it.
The cultural policy results in the scheduling of conferences/debates/study days dealing with annual themes (such as « Migration » and « University » in 2010/2011). Different artistic proposals enrich the reflection around these themes (performing arts, concerts, exhibitions).

Permanence of productions

This approach, promoting the reflexion and the exchange on a critical vision of the world, is also completed by an editing activity. Since more than 15 years, the Espace Culture publishes a cultural magazine called « Archimedes’ news » (http://culture.univ-lille1.fr/publications/la-revue/lna59.html ) and edits a range of collective books in the publishing house L’Harmattan
(http://culture.univ-lille1.fr/fileadmin/collection/CollRva.pdf).

Furthermore, all events are visible at any time online, on the web channel Lille1TV.
(http://lille1tv.univ-lille1.fr/thematiques/thematique.aspx?id=2a31c3f3-0...).

Discovering the scientific heritage

Preservation and promotion of the scientific academic heritage results in :
- Inventories of old research objects,
- Design of a 3D virtual museum
- Edition (http://culture.univ-lille1.fr/publications/patrimoine.html)
- Exhibitions.

A virtual park of science and technology : “Sphère” (Http://www.sphere-leprojet.fr )

Besides the classical tools used by University Lille 1 to spread scientific culture, the university has developed a innovative tool based on the multimedia 3D technologies : Sphere.

“Sphère” is a virtual 3D universe, dedicated to scientific and technological culture. Available online from a computer, it offers a set of multimedia and interactive resources (simulators, virtual museums, serious games, 3D multimedia presentations) for the promotion of research and technological innovation, awareness to scientific careers, the dissemination of culture and scientific heritage knowledge. This quality resources are integrated by a pedagogical team, to be adapted to various audiences.

The project began in 2008 thanks to a partnership involving scientists and multimedia companies .
Sphere enters its second phase during which it will be gradually opened to the public. That's why we do not have impact data yet.

A wide and various audience :

• The university community: students, teachers, researchers, employees, associations, retired...
• Professionals from all horizons (cultural, social, economic, politic…) concerned with the themes processed
• Citizens sensitive to the social debate
• Education community : teachers, students pedagogic team
• Amateur and professional artists

Multiple partnerships :

Each year, new partnerships are created in relation to the issues processed (students, artists, associations, professionals in the cultural or educational fields, institutional…). For example, the cycle on the social work was designed with the regional federation of associations for social action (URIOPSS).

3 - IMPACT

“L’Espace Culture” is one of the largest academic cultural services in France (one project, one team, one equipment) recognized for the originality, the relevance and the permanence of his project.
It has nearly 20 years’ experience in the design of thematic cycles with the same intellectual requirement, through a transdisciplinary approach (science, art, philosophy...).

The access to all events is free and open to all.

Some key figures (http://culture.univ-lille1.fr/les-amis-darchimede/lexperience.html ):

• 43 cycles organized
• More than 500 speakers received
• 59 journal issues of “Archimedes’News”
  Furthermore, the journal has a circulation of 12,000, throughout France and abroad.
• 25 books in the collection

The quality of the intellectual and artistic proposals is guaranteed by experts and recognized personalities.

“Espace culture” attendance:

The number of visitors coming at "Espace Culture" is counted at each event. Regarding exhibitions, is counted only the audience of openings and private viewings.

About thirty lectures/debates/study days are programmed each year. The number of listeners varies by 20 to 170 people for each one.
About twenty artistic proposals are programmed each year. The number of spectators varies by 20 to 140 people for each one.
The openings and private viewing gather about 300 people per year.

Website attendance: (http://culture.univ-lille1.fr )

The “Espace Culture” website contains publications (Archimedes’ News and program), links to artistic projects and videos, diary of events and archives.

The amount of visitors is analyzed thanks to Google Analytics tool :
- Number of visitors over one year : 50,650 (in 2011), including 17,621 unique visitors
- Number of the newsletters’ subscribers : 24,131