Since 2016, the MJC Bréquigny has been setting up a socio-linguistic workshop for non-native speakers, which brings together about fifteen people from various backgrounds each year. Some of them have been living in France for a long time and want to learn more about our culture. Others are newcomers. Most of them live in the Bréquigny district, but some participants come from other districts of Rennes, or even from other towns in the metropolis. Many of them have experienced difficult situations and are confronted with numerous problems in their daily lives: administrative procedures, job search, social and/or professional integration, isolation, etc.

Through discussions, activities, games and outings, the workshops aim to improve the understanding and practice of the French language, but also to promote the discovery of culture and artistic disciplines.

In 2021-2022, the MJC Bréquigny and 40mcube will set up a creative project for the participants of the socio-linguistic workshops. Based on a proposal by 40mcube, the artist Babeth Rambault will lead a collaborative project with the participants between November 2021 and May 2022.

“Readers say they choose a book for its title. It is the first element that attracts them, a first beginning, a sound, a color, a word, a spirit to imagine the text, the story.
This is the starting point of the project: the titles of books as fragments rich in interpretations, gaps or misunderstandings.
It is on this basis that we will create sculptures in clay, assemblies of objects or any other technique. A way to highlight the front cover in a completely free way.
The titles of the different works (novels, essays, newspapers, recipes, etc.) will serve as both labels and small bases for the works.
I also propose that we create a sculpture-library, a hybrid piece of furniture to present and gather all the works like a traveling bookstore. At the end of the project, the different creations could be compiled in a book.”

The creative workshops proposed by the artist allow the discovery of contemporary creation and artistic practice, the establishment of links between culture and language learning. They also stimulate the creativity of each student through the creation of a collective work of art, and highlight the culture and knowledge of each student. Finally, they encourage cultural and artistic open-mindedness, promote expression through exchange, and bring the participants to put words on their emotions. Thus, the project allows everyone to implement his or her cultural rights, through an amateur artistic practice supervised by an artist.