The extraordinary event of being European Capital of Culture had a lasting impact on the city of Lille, Lille Metropole, the region and its cultural dynamism. Since 2006, Lille3000 has continued the work started in 2004 with its major thematic editions. After Bombaysers de Lille (2006), Europe XXL (2009), Fantastic (2012), Renaissance (2015) and Eldorado (2019), Utopia will be dedicated to the relationship to nature and the preservation of the environment. In the age of climate change and environmental challenges, Utopia will be interested in the links between man and the living environment.

Rather than perpetuating the anthropocentric conception of the world, Utopia will propose the visions of artists, inventors, creators and scientists who question the hierarchy between men and nature. Furthermore the programming will present architectural utopias and innovations related to the nature and imagination of the forest and as in every major cultural edition, with a broad involvement of residents even in their daily lives.

Utopia will start with an opening party and parade on which residents and visitors can participate, in an Alice in wonderland atmosphere with giant flowers and cups on the main square of Lille.

During Utopia several urban transformations will take place, all over the metropolis, ass the Nordic forest Moss People from the Finnish artist Kim Simonsson, the photo exhibition Arctic and Antarctica of the Belgian photographer Christian Clauwers, on the Boulevards of Lille Metropole, the nanitos of Jean-François Fourtou, very small characters with pumpkin heads who change our perception of space, … and much more.

The idea of Utopia is also to discover nature in another way. With the launch of “Caps” pathways through nature dotted with artistic works or performances will be offered.

Of course, during this Utopia edition, several exhibitions will be held in the main museums and exhibition centres of Lille Metropole like these of the prestigious Cartier Foundation, which will propose “Les Vivants”, at the Tripostal, art centre with works by Amerindian artists gathered for the first time in our regions, or the one of the Museum of Natural History, which will propose a Zooscope, to see with the eyes of the animals but also the olfactory and massive installation (9 meters) of Peter de Cupere at the church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine in Lille, around the perfumes of nature.

We hope that you are convinced to make one (or several) trips to Lille Metropole during Utopia to discover the large program that will take place during almost 5 months in the 95 municipalities of Lille Metropole, the French-Belgian cross border region Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai and the region Hauts-de-France.

https://www.lille3000.eu/portail/en/evenements/utopia