A new social and solidarity-based third-location in Paris. Plateau Urbain and Yes We Camp, already behind Les Grands Voisins - now closed - Les Amarres and Bercy Beaucoup - are multiplying their projects. This time, it's a project led by Plateau Urbain in partnership with Yes We Camp. Together, they are taking over a new unoccupied location in the capital. And not just any place. For this new spot called Césure, Plateau Urbain and Yes We Camp have announced the temporary occupation of the former Censier site of the Sorbonne-Nouvelle faculty, nestled in the 5th arrondissement.
So, what exactly can we expect? Plateau Urbain and Yes We Camp are moving into around 25,000 square meters to offer a place that's both supportive and social. The idea is to transform the university site and occupy it for two years (2022-2024), before it - which belongs to the Rectorat de Paris - is rehabilitated byEPAURIF (Etablissement Public d'Aménagement Universitaire de la Région Ile-De-France).
Since the summer of 2022, the "tiers-lieu" has been home to 180 occupants (including 100 structures in the fields of solidarity, health, ecology and the social economy, and 80 artists, craftsmen and cultural players), as well as 1,000 students. What about opening to the general public? After several months of waiting, Césure is announcing a"soft opening" in June and July, before a grand opening announced for September 2023.
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What's on the program? Concerts, festivals and even readings, to be discovered from June 2023 in the spaces of the site (Amphi, Grand Plateau, Courtyard, Impasse...). Césure is also taking part in the Nuit Blanche and the next Fête de la musique. Discover the program on the official website.
Note also that the Césure Canteen is now open Tuesday to Friday for lunch from 12 noon to 2 p.m., and Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
With this project, Plateau Urbain is primarily targeting students, offering them preferential rates at the canteen, for example. But Césure also aims to be a place where knowledge can be passed on. The Plateau Urbain project is a real experiment, enabling us to envisage a different kind of university by inventing new ways of learning from each other.
As for the general public, they now have access to several spaces on the site, mainly on the ground and second floors of the former Sorbonne-Nouvelle campus. What's on offer? A canteen coupled with an Emmaüs Campüs boutique, an amphitheatre, an inner courtyard, not to mention a cultural and festive program that's sure to get people talking.
On Thursday, January 26, 2023, the Plateau Urbain and Yes We Camp teams organized a preview tour of the premises and the upcoming program.
And the least we can say is that this project is well worth the detour. Césure 's strength lies in the way it transforms the various spaces of the Parisian college into multiple uses. First and foremost, there's the Emmaüs Campüs canteen and boutique, housed in a 500 m² former university library. Here, the catering offer is designed to be healthy and sustainable, at affordable prices (10 euros for a main course, 13 euros for "starter + main course" or "main course + dessert" and 15 euros for "starter + main course + dessert"). Open from Tuesday to Saturday, the Césure canteen is designed to be a real home from home. It's here that Yes We Camp plans to organize conferences, workshops and stand-ups.
Not far from there, we come across other places dedicated to partying, with concerts and karaoke on the program. The tour continues and we enter the impressive Grand Plateau. Cleared of its books, this former 1,000 m² library has become a huge, luminous space, ready to host fashion shows, film shoots, markets and parties of all kinds, including a roller disco. Art will also be in the spotlight, starting in March with a suspended exhibition by Brazilian artist Marcia Tiburi.
The former cafeteria, renamed L'Impasse, will be transformed into a drag king cabaret in March.
And don't forget L'Amphi, a place to pass on a wide range of knowledge and skills, the Courtyard with its Yes We Camp refreshment bar and planted terrace, the mini club and the Plurielles rooms for dance, sport, yoga and activities of all kinds.
As you can see, Césure 's main aim is to offer a range of different formats for all kinds of audiences, each with the idea of passing on knowledge, all in a place that is highly symbolic of education in Paris. A place that in places can resemble a veritable labyrinth. Plateau Urbain and Yes We Camp are planning to install color-coded signage (pink for celebration, green for solidarity...).
The opening of Césure is also an opportunity to stroll through the old university libraries, corridors, lecture theatres and classrooms. An emotional moment that many former students are likely to experience.
Visit the site of the former Sorbonne-Nouvelle University now to enjoy the soft opening of Césure, and don't miss the grand opening in September 2023.
Dates and Opening Time
Starts May 31th, 2023
Location
Césure
13 Rue Santeuil
75005 Paris 5
Official website
cesure.paris
