For the opening of MOCO Hôtel des collections, Geoffrey Badel, a graduate of MOCO.ESBA and an artist based in Montpellier, presents An it harm none, do what ye will, a purification and protection ritual of the site that takes place within MOCO’s inaugural exhibition. The title of the performance, taken from Wiccan philosophy, means “Do as you wish, without it harming anyone” in Old English. Bringing together the manipulation of personal and symbolic objects, as well as of the body, gestural signs, vocal exercises and movement, the choreography is based on intuition and nods to Wicca, a form of worship that aligns itself as much with nature as it does with magic.

If happiness came, I miss the call is a performance conceived for MOCO Montpellier Contemporain by the artist duo, La cellule (Becquemin&Sagot), based in Montpellier. After having meandered around the institution in silence, as if they were part of the public, a young man and woman, dressed in a white cape, meet in the garden at the sound of a trumpet for a strange and melancholic dance duo. A short-lived moment, yet one of seduction, that deals with themes of renewal and transformation.

For more information please visit:  www.rockstore.fr 

From 20:00 to 23:00 :
 

> Last Yearz Interesting Negro / Jamila Johnson-Small

With Last Yearz Interesting Negro, Fernanda Muñoz-Newsome and Rowdy SS

Last Yearz Interesting Negro is the solo project of London-based artist, dancer and choreographer Jamila Johnson-Small, whose performances blend narrative and states of trance, electronic music and dance, poetry and video through a decolonial lens. At Rockstore, alongside their collaborators Fernanda Muñoz-Newsome and Rowdy SS, Last Yearz Interesting Negro presents a new performance, slow burn (I Want You), an expansion of practices they have been developing in soft practice workshops, and which have been adapted here for a group of performers.

> Mathilde Fernandez

Originally from the south of France, Mathilde Fernandez presents a live concert at Rockstore. Coming from a visual arts and performance background, Mathilde Fernandez’s musical project is based on an exploration of the different potentialities of their voice. Whether via an electro or acoustic approach, their voice nowadays discloses a strong lyrical influence as well as the spectrum of the family of women whom Mathilde cherishes and that accompany them in the baroque universe that is theirs: Nina Hagen, Kate Bush, Catherine Ringer, Lene Lovitch, Diamanda Galas, Oum Kalthoum and Armanda Altaï.

> Nelson Beer

With a background that sits on the crossroads of different disciplines and territories, trained both as an architect and a classical pianist, Nelson Beer is a mutable, constantly shifting artist. Their musical productions meld influences from diverse cultures and are as much inspired by experimental music, techno, classical pop and R’n’B as they are by rap. As to their on-stage persona, central to their artistic project at large, it never ceases to evolve and to propose a fluid and blurred identity.

From 23:00 to 5am :

> AZ IZ

Az Iz has been painting and composing music from a young age. At the end of their teens, and via an initial passion for hip-hop, they came to electronic music. Discreet about their work since 2010, it is only in the last few years that they have begun to reveal some of their productions and their first live sets. Inspired as much by the soul of Erykah Badu as by the experimentation of Aphex Twin, by the forceful productions of Dixon or Objekt, their music unveils its own deep-seated energy.

> PIÑATA RADIO DJs

With the same passion that led them to create, and subsequently to organise and develop a web-radio, TMZK and OG Maxwell represent Piñata Radio in as much as DJs. With the groove and warmth of house music, the imprint of jazz or hip-hop, which drive them beyond their DJ sets, and the desire to explore new sounds, they represent the eclecticism of the radio’s programming. Two DJs, with sets to suit all moods.

> CHORDIAL

It is only in 2018 that these two DJs from Montpellier united forces to create Chordial. Since then, they have begun to play in a variety of spaces, offering up a mix of house music DJ sets: deep and soulful, as well as minimal and classic. Using sampling and other modular synths, their talents stretch equally to producing. Regulars at Lunar Bar, they have played at Cicada Festival as well as across other stages in the south of France, and nothing seems to be stopping them.

> MAMBOUSSA

Their productions may be familiar to some through Diplo’s Boiler Room session; others may know them through their famous remix of Daft Punk’s “Emotion” or simply through their own EPs, which, since 2015, have been released on some of the best European club music labels. First based in Montpellier, and latterly in the midst of Paris’ thriving club scene, Mamboussa is one of the last recruits to the music label, [re]sources, whose releases can be heard across the top dancefloors in France and Europe.

Performance by VOXEL

Featuring Eric Nébié

Two square modules, created by Artelozera and activated by four young choreographers from the Exerce ICI/CCN Montpellier program, sit on the Esplanade de la Musique. Voxel – des modules à habiter par le travail de la danse consists of permeable working spaces in which different warm-up exercises, writing, improvised dance, strolls and performances take place. The human experience and a loss of bearings are essential to these actions. The utilitarian objects that are thus created are deprived of any status as a work of art. In this way, Voxel offers an alternative within the space of the everyday, and positions the viewer as an experimenter.  

Ideally located, MOCO will serve as the main headquarters for Montpellier Contemporain. Inaugurated in June 2019 in the former Montcalm Hôtel, MOCO will be Montpellier’s cultural platform. The centre will not exhibit permanent collections but will host international public or private collections. Whether collective, individual, themed or historical, each exhibition will show a specific collection: that of a foundation, a private collector, a company, a museum or even an artist. Most collections will be shown to the general public here for the first time.

A stimulating place for living, open to all

Modern and cosmopolitan, MOCO offers audiences of all types the opportunity to fully engage with modern-day art. MOCO has been designed as place in which to spend time and, beyond the exhibitions themselves, a place for the general public as a whole, whatever their age, to enjoy. Indeed, the ground-floor restaurant, gardens and boutique (renewed seasonally), will be warm and welcoming and will punctuate Montpellier’s day and night life. A partnership has also been launched with Montpellier’s Paul Valéry University and its network of researchers, to set up an international research centre on the concept of collection, in all its diversity.

Works of art, freely accessible to all

Alongside the temporary exhibitions, the venue is also dedicated to hosting the work of artists directly related to the architecture of the building. This approach was an integral and essential component in Philippe Chiambaretta’s project: in his own words, “the magical rebirth of MOCO (formerly, Montcalm Hôtel) through the artistic transformation of functional to fictional. The fiction will unravel in three sequences: the Magic Garden, the Enchanted Hôtel and the Cour des Fêtes.

The magic garden, an atlas-garden designed by Bertrand Lavier

Bertrand Lavier, who was entrusted with the creation of a permanent work outdoors, has crafted a garden in the form of a world map, composed of plant species from the four corners of the globe, all lovingly selected with gardener, landscaper, botanist and biologist, Gilles Clément. The project is all about taking time, the natural time required for the seasonal evolution of plants: planting, growing and evolving, peaceful animals only, no predators, slowly does it here... two turtles will inhabit this natural living environment.

The garden will be divided into two parts: one part can be entered, and the other not. Signage designed by Bertrand Lavier will echo the former labelling codes of botanical gardens. A fountain designed by the artist, will grace the centre of the planted atlas. The garden, specially designed for MOCO, is the first ever made by the artist.

The enchanted Hôtel: artistic happenings around the building

Along with the garden, the refurbished building will host two artistic happenings: one in the restaurant/bar area, the other in the gardens, on the façade.Restaurant/bar area: The Unplayed Notes Factory was born during the 2017 Venice Biennale, of Loris Gréaud’s project to revive a former glass factory on the island of Murano by launching production of 1 200 filament lamps, all handblown and unique. Brought to life again for the launch of MOCO, Loris Gréaud’s works, with their cloud-like, luminescent forms, will cover the ceiling of the future bar of the Hôtel des collections, thus enhancing an area designed for sharing and hospitality.

The Cour des fêtes, a flexible, city-centrer events venue

Finally, MOCO also offers a flexible space which can be transformed at will (artists, students, businesses, charities...). The 640m² Cours des Fêtes, located to the rear of the building, is a fully-fledged events venue, which can be reinvented with MOCO’s artistic programming. The Cour des Fêtes can also be fully privatized for corporate customer and/or staff hospitality events in a unique, timeless setting, impregnated with the values of innovation embodied by contemporary art.

If happiness came, I miss the call is a performance conceived for MOCO Montpellier Contemporain by the artist duo, La cellule (Becquemin&Sagot), based in Montpellier. After having meandered around the institution in silence, as if they were part of the public, a young man and woman, dressed in a white cape, meet in the garden at the sound of a trumpet for a strange and melancholic dance duo. A short-lived moment, yet one of seduction, that deals with themes of renewal and transformation.

For the opening of MOCO Hôtel des collections, Geoffrey Badel, a graduate of MOCO.ESBA and an artist based in Montpellier, presents An it harm none, do what ye will, a purification and protection ritual of the site that takes place within MOCO’s inaugural exhibition. The title of the performance, taken from Wiccan philosophy, means “Do as you wish, without it harming anyone” in Old English. Bringing together the manipulation of personal and symbolic objects, as well as of the body, gestural signs, vocal exercises and movement, the choreography is based on intuition and nods to Wicca, a form of worship that aligns itself as much with nature as it does with magic.

Performance, Jacopo Miliani, Body oh boy nobody ! - MOCO Hôtel des collections

With Jacopo Jenna

In Body oh Boy Nobody!, a dancer moves around the stairs, the entrance hall and the patio of the MOCO. Gradually, the man partially undresses in a slow dance before dressing themselves again and continuing on their walk. Their gestures and movements recall well-known forms and images from art history, yet, presented without music and in a decidedly anti-theatrical context, the performance brings into play the relationship with the public, and creates a space in which seduction, desire and embarrassment can take shape.

French Track

Performance by VOXEL

Featuring Clarissa Baumann

Two square modules, created by Artelozera and activated by four young choreographers from the Exerce ICI/CCN Montpellier program, sit on the Esplanade de la Musique. Voxel – des modules à habiter par le travail de la danse consists of permeable working spaces in which different warm-up exercises, writing, improvised dance, strolls and performances take place. The human experience and a loss of bearings are essential to these actions. The utilitarian objects that are thus created are deprived of any status as a work of art. In this way, Voxel offers an alternative within the space of the everyday, and positions the viewer as an experimenter.  

Performance by VOXEL

Featuring Eric Niébé

Two square modules, created by Artelozera and activated by four young choreographers from the Exerce ICI/CCN Montpellier program, sit on the Esplanade de la Musique. Voxel – des modules à habiter par le travail de la danse consists of permeable working spaces in which different warm-up exercises, writing, improvised dance, strolls and performances take place. The human experience and a loss of bearings are essential to these actions. The utilitarian objects that are thus created are deprived of any status as a work of art. In this way, Voxel offers an alternative within the space of the everyday, and positions the viewer as an experimenter.  

Performance by VOXEL

Featuring Clarissa Baumann

Two square modules, created by Artelozera and activated by four young choreographers from the Exerce ICI/CCN Montpellier program, sit on the Esplanade de la Musique. Voxel – des modules à habiter par le travail de la danse consists of permeable working spaces in which different warm-up exercises, writing, improvised dance, strolls and performances take place. The human experience and a loss of bearings are essential to these actions. The utilitarian objects that are thus created are deprived of any status as a work of art. In this way, Voxel offers an alternative within the space of the everyday, and positions the viewer as an experimenter.  

Exposition from june 29 to july 21 

French Track

Performance by VOXEL

Featuring Clarissa Baumann

Two square modules, created by Artelozera and activated by four young choreographers from the Exerce ICI/CCN Montpellier program, sit on the Esplanade de la Musique. Voxel – des modules à habiter par le travail de la danse consists of permeable working spaces in which different warm-up exercises, writing, improvised dance, strolls and performances take place. The human experience and a loss of bearings are essential to these actions. The utilitarian objects that are thus created are deprived of any status as a work of art. In this way, Voxel offers an alternative within the space of the everyday, and positions the viewer as an experimenter.