Situated in Arles, France, LUMA Arles is an ambitious cultural complex consisting of multiple buildings where symposia, exhibitions, and workshops are regularly hosted. Created in 2013, it features an impressive central building, the Arts Resource Centre, designed and developed in collaboration with Canadian architect Frank Gehry. From its conception, LUMA Arles was meant to function as an interdisciplinary hub, to foster innovation and collaboration between artists and the local public. In the years since its creation, however, LUMA Arles has expanded its scope beyond just artistic exploration.
How can art, architecture, and the environment coexist? How can they thrive together under the banner of innovation and collaboration? These questions are the base for LUMA Arles’ latest project, Lot 8. The project was developed under the Atelier LUMA program, and was conceptualised as a long-term study on bio-regional architecture, guided by principles of locality and sustainability.
In the 19th century, before LUMA Arles’ acquisition of the land, Parc des Ateliers was an industrial complex dedicated to the construction and repair of locomotives. After 1984, with the winding down of operations in the area, the site fell in disuse and the buildings left abandoned. This meant that when the LUMA foundation decided to use it as the centre of their cultural hub, the previous buildings on the premises were in dire need of renovation.