In Canourgues neighborhood in Salon-de-Provence, a group of commissionners wanted to create a "porous" space around the social center, and bring together sports and culture.

The Espace Francisco Baron is located in the Canourgues neighbourhood in Salon-de-Provence. It is home to a social centre and free sport facilities. In 2009, the town council and the centre, in partnership with local residents and associations, decided to turn this space into a sports and leisure centre hosting cultural activities. Associations and local residents were asked to get involved in this initiative by becoming commissioners. They sought to make the Espace Francisco Baron more "porous" in social, generational and cultural terms. Thanks to the Fondation de France's New Patrons programme, work was commissioned from the Cabanon Vertical collective. For this multidisciplinary group, based in Marseille, the challenge was to bring culture to a sporting venue, and to see sport as part of a cultural structure.

Generally, sporting and cultural events require special facilities: stages, fields, stalls, changing rooms, or stands. At the Espace Francisco Baron, the borders between uses and users were symbolised by wire fences. To transform these figurative and physical borders, Cabanon Vertical came up with the idea of making them rhythmic, permeable and mobile. By creating new and moving demarcation lines that generate internal and external volumes, artists blur the boundaries between sports fans and other users. Geometric shapes give way to a new organisation of space that respects each use. A space for socialising and artistic activities is located around the games area. This space features mini-structures that encourage individual or collective practices such as cooking, gardening, resting and playing. It can also welcome small performances, concerts and parties. The Cabanon Vertical's project for the Espace Francisco Baron, which is called Limites Floues (Blurred Boundaries), has created a new area open to all residents and amateurs, whatever their age, origins or interests.

The Cabanon Vertical

The Cabanon Vertical collective is made up of Olivier Bedu (architect), Christian Geschvindermann (decorator and scenographer), Sébastien Normand (photographer), Rémy Rivoire (visual artist) and Sébastien Wierinck (designer).