What does "squart" mean?
The word "squart" is a combination of two words: "squat"
and "art". It is used by artists to differentiate art squats
from "social" oriented squats, like those for the homeless.
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What is the squat movement exactly?
The necessity of work space for artists (painters, dancers, actors etc.)
is vital and the incredibly high prices for such accommodations makes
it inaccessible for the average artist, so squartists have opened and
invested in closed down buildings, ready to be torn down or sold, and
give them a new life.Turning them into studios and work space for artists.
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Is it illegal?
Since you are taking over someones private property, the answer is yes,
it's illegal. And one must expect to be taken to court and eventually,
to be evicted. The entire procedure can take several months, if not years,
but during that time, plays get performed, paintings get done, music flows
through our ears and creativity is in the hands of poets...
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Where do you find
squarts?
In all major French cities you will find alternative places of creativity.
The Collectif
de la Grange aux Belles was one of the most mediatized squats in Paris
during the years 1995 and 2000. Les
Diables Bleus where I've painted from 2001 untill it's eviction in
December 2004 was in Nice. Since November 2004, I'm in a squart called Le
Pigeonnier wich is an entire building of art studios and a gallery
on its first floor. In many european countries like Germany, Holland
and Switzerland, squats have been legalized since the 1990's..
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How do you open a squat?
Carefully! There are two approaches: The first is with a small group,
discreetly entering without "braking and entering", laying low
for at least 48 hours after changing the locks as to start investing/working
in the new place, to feel at home and finally to come out of the closet.
The second is with a large group of people as to open the squat with a
major bang. Several times after our "coming out", we went to
the police and told them what we did, who we were and not to mistake us
with thugs. It had the advantage of puting us one step ahead of the owners
when they went to the police to complain.
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What about evictions?
Those dreaded evictions...unavoidable! This beautiful story always ends
up with the eviction. It could be within 3 months or after five years;
it usually depends on several situations. You must remember that it's
not the building in itself that is important but the magic and energy
that's been created inside. Alternative places of creation are a necessity
in all cities! When one squart closes, another one opens etc. The Pigeonnier which is in Nice, is as of 2020, in it's fifteenth year of existence.
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What are the activities that you
can find in these squats?
It depends of the size and the artistic afinity of the artists. At the
Collectif
de la Grange aux Belles you could find a gallery, a concert hall,
a restaurant every sunday night, 4 floors of studios, a video mixing room,
a library etc. At the Pigeonnier
where I'm now, you can find more or less the same activities. Two galleries
on the first floor followed by 4 flights of studio space, in a building
built in the 17th century and located 2mn away from the beach. Sweet.
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How are they financed?
In most cases they are 100 % self financed and always with a lot of sweat
and elbow grease. If the occupants had money, they would rent!
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Are they open to the public?
Here again, it depends on the squart. Most are open
for special occasions (art openings, concerts, performances etc.) but
you can always drop by and remember, Europe is a multi-nation continent
and most squarts welcome travelers. Many exchange programs with squarts
in other countries have taken place.
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Is the squart movement a fad or
does it have a future?
Apperentaly the necessity is real and new squats seem to pop up as often
as others close down. A new, younger generation of squartists have taken
over the movement and it's no wonder, since squarts, wich are islands
of poetry, invite visitors to share and participate in the research and
experimentation of all forms of art. The first squarts in France started in the mid 1980's, so I would say that they are here to stay.
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A short
history of the French squat movement
Squatting buildings goes back to the end of WWII when many cities where
destroyed by the bombings, leaving many French citizens homeless. A law
was then passed stipulating that it was ok to invest empty buildings to
create shelter for the population. In the mid 1980's, the group Art Cloche
was one of the major founders of the squart movement and many groups followed
(like the Zen
Copyright that dominated the Parisian squat movement during the 1990's).
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Is there
a way as to avoid the illegality of squatting?
Yes, there are several possibilities. The first is to convince the owners
to write up a temporary lease or to have them not press charges. The second
is to have the goverment acknowledge the necessity of such places and
to relocate the artists with a symbolic lease that they can afford (like
in Switzerland, Holland or Germany). The third way is to create a "contract
of confidence" with the owner before you open and actually squat
the place. It's a deal that stipulates that you can occupy the locale,
be responsible for it and return it to it"s owner when suited by
both parties. It"s a deal that is based on the honor of the squatters
and the generosity of the owner. We see a great future in this last solution.
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Squarts
in the USA?
Seeing that one can defend ones private property with a gun, squatting is
not highly recommended. A few squats have appeared in NYC but the "contract
of confidence" seems to have a real future. I opened a gallery/squat
in Harlem in the year 2000 with a contract of confidence established
with the owner of a building that was waiting to be sold. It permited me
to do several art shows with local artists. The contract of confidence idea
was well received because the need of affordable studio space is a major
problem in most US cities and it's always our youngest citizens that pay
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