For one week during May this year, during the Detour de France, Collective Etc. was invited by the association “Vivre la rue” to open a construction site in Brest, in the district of Recouvrance, Saint Malo. In this context, they offered to add a contemporary layer to the ruins of the street, resulting in the One:One Theatre. Their intention was to highlight the existence of the access to the new footpath that connects the small garden to the staircase in the back of the street, which was made safe to be open to the public. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Founded in 1989, the association “Vivre la rue” was based around a common desire to preserve and rehabilitate the Saint Malo street. It organizes numerous cultural events and open rehabilitation workshops. The Saint Malo street miraculously survived the bombs that destroyed the city during World War II. Today it is the oldest street in Brest. Out of the twelve remaining houses, only two still have a roof: the association has its offices at number 17 and number 15 is a place to host artists. Every year, renovation workshops are conducted: ruins were turned into vegetable gardens, and most of the multi-century walls were rebuilt, with the help of many volunteers and staff.
