For this 16th edition of the festival, Looking For Architecture and Yves Caizergues have joined forces to develop the visual language of the Fagor-Brandt factory. They chose the theme of “Man and Machine” for the redesigned venue, whose new layout will ensure an even more comfortable festival experience in 2018.
The former washing machine factory serves as the ideal setting for a visual exploration of the machine as a tool of mass production. Furthermore, the unique character of the venue recalls the industrial towns where electronic music was first born and which serve as the foundations of the indelible link between electronic cultures and the machine, as both a manufacturing tool and a technological instrument.
Man, presented here as the protagonist of Nuits Sonores, brings the venue to life: his image, depicted in an artistic and festive manner against the industrial backdrop, becomes the visual symbol of the festival.
By accentuating and highlighting the site’s recurring visual components – robotic arms, assembly lines, technical manuals, health and safety signs – LFA have transformed this industrial landscape into an artist’s canvas.
It is a décor that will be punctuated by a series of mechanical and technological installations designed by Yves Caizergues and a team of visual artists. Similarly, an original feature created by the DraGones collective will ensure that the event is a unifying and multi-dimensional experience for festival-goers.
From the DJs or musicians who serve as vectors for the sonic potential held within their instruments, to the light designer who renders a similar energy in a more visual manner, not to mention the sound engineer adjusting the acoustic pressure, none of the festival’s artistic output would be possible without the aid of Man’s trusty machines. Having us to thank for its creation, the Machine in turns become a tool that we rely upon for our communication and expression. In other words, an extension of ourselves.