Camelote, Le Neubourg and its market
For several years, the Centre Photographique Rouen Normandie has been conducting cultural projects on the Neubourg agricultural plateau in the department of Eure, a collaboration initiated by numerous artistic and cultural education projects carried out with the Gilbert Martin agricultural vocational high school.
The various projects carried out in the area have enabled the Centre Photographique to broaden its reflection, its action and its creation in rural areas over the years, and to deepen, with the actors of the territory, its reflection on rural, agricultural and food issues.
It is in this sense that, from March to July 2024, the Centre Photographique Rouen Normandie and the town of Neubourg conducted an artistic workshop project entitled Camelote, a stone’s throw from the castle and in the heart of the market. A colourful stall was set up among the ‘small baskets’ of this centuries-old market, known throughout the region: no leeks or beets were sold there, but market users were invited to look at what was grown, eaten and shared in the middle of this rich agricultural plateau.
Three artists, Marion Dutoit, Laura Lafon Cadilhac and Fred Margueron took it in turns to photograph or draw the fruit and vegetables contained in the shoppers’ bags and baskets. These creative, fun and free sessions provided an amusing and novel way of looking at the “food bowl” of the Neubourg plateau – on a stall transformed into an open-air workshop.
In addition to their presence at the market, the three artists held art workshops at the Dupont-de-l’Eure primary school, the Pierre Corneille secondary school, the Gilbert Martin agricultural vocational college, the Les Violoncelles retirement home and the Neubourg retirement home to continue the reflection, creation and exchange around food and its culture.
All the productions created in the markets and during the workshops in these establishments will be presented during the European Heritage Days on 21 and 22 September 2024 at the Vieux-Château du Neubourg.
The Camelote project is part of the ‘Cultural Rights in Normandy Territories’ programme. It is funded by the Normandy Region, the Department of Eure and the City of Neubourg. It is part of the Entre les images programme developed by the Diagonal network with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture and in partnership with the ADAGP. With the patronage of Ataub architects.
Information: info@centrephotographique.com
Located in the heart of an agricultural plateau, the town of Neubourg is known for its weekly market, which visual artist Marion Dutoit occupies by offering shoppers a time for creation and exchange around what is in their bags, totes and baskets. With a long roll of paper many metres long, a few paint brushes and some ink, she invites market-goers to put the contents of their basket down and, in a few moments, draw some of the items in the sun, amidst the colours and smells of the market. The food landscape thus created during the morning tells the story of what each person buys and eats.
At the same time, Marion Dutoit went to an elementary school, a vocational agricultural college and the EHPAD du Neubourg nursing home to open the fridges and observe what the users of these institutions eat. Using the same food landscape principle and the same rolls of paper, she got these groups to work on representing the number, quantities, textures, packaging and colours of the products neatly compartmentalised in the kitchens of the establishments.
Audience: Pupils from the Dupont-de-l’Eure primary school, the Gilbert Martin agricultural college, beneficiaries of the day centre for the elderly and shoppers at the Neubourg market.
Funded by: ‘Cultural Rights in Normandy’ by the Normandy Regional Council, with the support of the Department of Eure and the Town of Neubourg.
For a week, the photographer Laura Lafon Cadilhac spent time with the residents of the semi-autonomous residence Les Violoncelles (Ehpad du Neubourg). Together, they did the shopping at the market, cooked, took photos, exchanged recipes, shared meals and talked about love. Taking advantage of the beautiful Normandy sunshine, they also made a cyanotype tablecloth on which glasses, plates, cutlery and a few flowers had been placed to add a touch of colour to the Camelote stand.
At the market, the photographer was thus able to suggest to shoppers that they take the fruit and vegetables out of their baskets to compose a still life and photograph it. During the shoot, she also collected recipes from the residents of the Neubourg housing estate: Martin shared his father’s guacamole recipe, Céline shared her quince jelly recipe and Florence shared the secret of her chicken colombo.
Audience: Residents of the semi-autonomous residence Les Violoncelles (Ehpad du Neubourg) and shoppers at the Neubourg market.
‘Aimer manger au Neubourg’ is a project supported by the Centre Photographique Rouen Normandie and led by the artist Laura Lafon Cadilhac as part of the national programme Entre les images, developed by the Diagonal network with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture and in partnership with the ADAGP. Entre les images 2024-2025.
The Rouen-based photographer Fred Margueron has also set up his stall among the ‘little baskets’ and local producers’ stalls, with a very special display. With his camera, flashes, tripod and a strange suspended wooden scale, the photographer invites market-goers to place the contents of their basket on the scale. When the book is reached, the shutter is released and hey presto – the shot is taken! Behind the mountains of fruit and vegetables, the previously photographed landscapes of the Plateau du Neubourg appear.
Prior to these workshops in the market, the photographer went to the Collège Pierre Corneille du Neubourg, first with two classes from the SEGPA (special educational needs) stream to build the photo-scale activated in the market. He then worked with a class of Year 10 students on the landscape, photographed through thin slices of fruit and vegetables stuck between two sheets of Plexiglas: the sky, its clouds and the roofs of the neighbouring houses can then be seen through an orange or a tomato.
Audience: Pupils from the general and SEGPA streams at Pierre Corneille secondary school and shoppers at the Neubourg market.
Funded by: ‘Droits culturels en territoires normands’ (Cultural rights in Normandy) of the Normandy Region, with the support of the Département de l’Eure and the Ville du Neubourg.