Quand les mots s’invitent en ville : regard sur les œuvres d’art du tramway (France)

Abstract

The presence of a public art commission around the tram networks confers a new urban identity on cities. Selected works use literature, writing and narrative. Present in stations, distributed on the network, or broadcast by loudspeakers, these interventions follow the users throughout their travels. They offer a singular and new comprehension of cities and public transport. Therefore, they actively serve to participate actively in the construction of an urban literature. These works are more and more appreciated by key players, as they become part of urbanistic directives such as the patrimonialization of urban space or the competitiveness of territories. This contribution will study the city’s and the urban space’s “literary factory,” through the prism of the public art/tram partnership initiative. After an overview of various literary artistic projects, we’ll approach expectations and socio-urbanistic concerns intrinsic to the partnership approach, through the discourse of actors engaged in the project. Finally, we’ll consider the future of such an approach, with respect to the practice of users.

Keywords

• city
• France
• literature
• public art
• tram
• narrative