The fireplace and the brick building, which once housed the kilns and dryers, are the remains of a vast industrial site: the Gournay brickworks. Production stopped in 1966 and many abandoned buildings have since been demolished.
Owner of this abandoned industrial heritage, the Val-de-Marne General Council decided in 2003 to transform it into a cultural place dedicated to contemporary dance. The Biennale de Danse du Val-de-Marne, created in the early 1980s, has a house to develop its project and welcome artists and the public.
Rehabilitated by the architecture agency Philippe Prost, the brickwork Centre de Développement Chorégraphique National du Val-de-Marne is inaugurated in 2013. The project focuses on three areas: support for choreographic creation, the dissemination of shows and the implementation of cultural actions and artistic education courses for a variety of audiences. The new rehabilitation offers a new life to this site, by highlighting old structures and integrating new spaces dedicated to choreographic creation.
A unique place of art and history, the brick factory opens its doors, its garden, and its dance studios.
The tour will be guided by Sophie TESSANDIER, architect at CAUE du Val-de-Marne and Anaïs Hamard/ Arina Dolgikh de la Briqueterie.
As part of this visit, you can attend a «Atelier du regard» around the theme Danse & Architecture. The workshop proposes to discover a diversity of choreographic proposals through a viewing of video clips, and to share the perceptions of each.