Les Artpenteurs are a multidisciplinary theatre company from Lyon. Working within a diverse neighbourhood, with many returnees from north Africa, established families from migrant backgrounds and new immigrants, the theatre company approaches the languages of their area as an undervalued resource. The poetry project placed languages in a public space. Les Artpenteurs organised workshops with migrants where people were encouraged to find poems or other texts in their language, and helped translate them in French. Individuals were trained, and recitals filmed (recordings available online).
Their mission was to ensure that all languages should be heard, even if only by one listener. French speakers also participated through recitals in French. Founder Patrice Vandamme believes the project forges strong links between participants, and an increased sense of well-being and pride in the visibility of languages hitherto ignored. The project website allows visitors to select a poem, to hear it in its original version as well as in French, and to read both the original text and translation as well as biographical and linguistic information.
