An artist to reinvent movement
Artist Catherine Parayre led a creative residency for patients and caregivers at the Renée Sabran hospital in Hyères.
The Renée Sabran hospital, a Hospices Civils de Lyon (HCL) establishment on the Giens peninsula, hosted artist Catherine Parayre in September for a creative residency open to patients and caregivers.
Led by the artist-author, the "Déambulations / Imaginaires d’une presqu’île" project invited participants to explore the location and its heritage through writing, photography, and dance.
A professor at Brock University in Canada, Catherine Parayre has been developing an artistic practice for twenty years that questions traces, memory, and territory. For this residency, she proposed symbolically "strolling" around the peninsula, at a time when the mobility of many patients is temporarily reduced.
A strong local cultural anchor
The project aimed to transform the hospital experience into a creative journey. On the agenda: bedside encounters, poetic walks in the 30-hectare park and on the beach, writing sessions, and cultural visits.
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All contributions will feed into a collective research-creation book, allowing participants' words to circulate beyond the institution's walls.
Events to pace the residency
The residency was punctuated by several major events, most of which were open to the public. The kickoff featured the opening of the photography exhibition "Déplacements / Immobilités" by Hubert Tournebise, a physician at the hospital.
From September 8 to 10, choreographers Ariel Uziga and Josh Müller hosted a participatory dance workshop, "Traversée d’un champ", exploring how everyday gestures can become a language.
The hospital also took part in European Heritage Days, notably featuring a "Promenade lue" and an observation workshop facing the sea.
Finally, on the weekend of September 26 and 27, the residency concluded with the collective restitution "L’écriture exposée", an ephemeral exhibition where patients and professionals curated their own creations.
A solid cultural partnership
This initiative is part of a solid cultural partnership established in 2024 between the Renée Sabran hospital and the neighboring Musée du Niel, dedicated to post-war abstraction.
The residency expanded its scope to include the Salin des Pesquiers, a protected natural site where Catherine Parayre served as curator for another exhibition.
Through this project, the Hospices Civils de Lyon reaffirmed their conviction that culture is an essential component of healthcare.
Article from the print edition of La Gazette du Var