In collaboration with
Henriette Waal & Elisabeth Guyon
Artistic direction, NL
Alexandre Humbert
Realisation film, FR
Andrea Anner
Graphic design, CH
Kunlé Adeyemi
Masterclass supervisor, NG
Paolo Cascone
Masterclass supervisor, IT
ENSA École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture, Montpellier
Participating school, FR
ENSA École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture, Marseille
Participating school, FR
MEF University Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, Istanbul
Participating school, TR
Academy of Fine Arts Vienne
Participating school, AT
African Fabbers School Douala
Participating school, CM
Elke Krasny (Academy of Fine Arts Vienne)
Mentor, art theorist, AT
Sevince Bayrak & Oral Göktas (MEF University Istanbul)
Mentors, architects, TR
Kristell Filotico (ENSA Marseille)
Mentor, architect, FR
Marion Moustey (ENSA Montpellier)
Mentor, architect, FR
Lukas Wegwerth
Designer, DE
Olga et Carteau
Association des quartiers, FR
Muséon Arlaten
Project partner, FR
Didier Bertrand
Farmer, FR
Serge Binotto
Former engineer at Jean Prouvé, FR
Frédéric Bon
Farmer, FR
CAUE13
Project partner, FR
Émilie Gascon
Keynote speaker, architect, FR
Jean-Paul Gay
Inhabitant, Ville de Port-Saint-Louis du Rhône, FR
Jean Jalbert
Director Tour du Valat, FR
Han Meyer
Keynote speaker, professor urban design TU Delft , NL
Alain Montagnier
ACCM, FR
Laurence Nicolas
Anthropologist, author of Beauduc l’utopie des gratte-plage. Ethnographie, FR
Dominique Noël
Founder Ilotopie, performer, FR
Silvain Ohl
Architect, FR
OOZE architects
Architect, FR, DE
Madhia Rouah
Inhabitant floodprone area, FR
Julie Walker
Parc naturel régional de Camargue (PNRC), FR
Estelle Rouquette
PNRC, Musée de la Camargue, FR
Bruno Schnebelin
Founder Ilotopie, performer, FR
Bas Smets
Landscape architect, BE
Ghislaine Verrhiest-Leblanc
DREAL, bio chemist and architect, FR

Living with Rising Water

Climate and the geographical environment are the most basic elements in terms of how people live and to matters of hospitality. In the wake of rising global interest and concerns for resilient cities and water management issues, related to human habitat, building on Luma’s exhibition «Jean Prouvé, Architect for Better Days» in Arles, Henriette Waal initiated a regional investigation. This positioned the Luma Foundation as a place to address sensitive and often ignored climate change topics.

The complex, rich and unique territory of Arles and the Camargue region has the largest percentage of groundwater in France. The area is crossed by two arms of the Rhone and has kilometers of Mediterranean seafront, irrigated through a complex water network (sometimes dating from Roman times) and subject to torrential rains and drought. Urbanized environments and human activities are intertwined with protected areas. As such, the Camargue Delta is a fragile and important case for water management issues related to the built environment.

Within this context and on-site investigation, several initiatives and interventions have been conducted.

International Masterclass (March 2018) As Artistic Director of Atelier Luma Henriette Waal in collaboration with Elisabeth Guyon initiated and developed a 6-days masterclass on flood proof and demountable architecture and self-construction. Under the supervision of Nigerian architect, Kunlé Adeyemi with Italian designer Paolo Cascone, 40 architecture and art students from various countries worked at Parc des Ateliers and on-site in the region on design solutions to inhabit flood-prone areas and adaptability to flood risks. 

Exhibition (May 2018) The Masterclass outcomes were presented in an installation as part of Luma days 2# at Parc des Ateliers in Arles. 

Film (May 2018) Waal & Guyon made a short film in collaboration with Alexandre Humbert. The film investigates various forms of water knowledge, from ecological and environmental narratives to cultural ones, uncovering the deep threats, the emotions, the fiction, the beauty, and the lifestyle it can generate.

Public conference (May 2018) Following the masterclass exploration, Atelier Luma brought international water specialists and architects of innovative constructions together with local experts in a public conference during Luma days 2#. Together they explored how to anticipate a future in which we deal with water management in a different way and the potential of design solutions to address the habitability of flood-prone areas.