Cahors, Occitanie — project coordinator
A creative bridge
[la fabrique francophone] is a space for experimentation, reflection and commitment.
It welcomes the imaginations of the French-speaking world and sets in motion the singular stories of those who share it.
Founded in 2021, it runs a hybrid cultural and civic venue in Cahors, in the heart of the Lot — a place for meeting, expression and cooperation among cultures, stories and people.[la fabrique francophone] works to foster the conditions for individual and collective emancipation. It encourages the free expression of plural identities and openness to otherness, making sure that everyone can claim their place in the shared cultural space. It works to promote people’s autonomy, in respect of their dignity and their diversity.
A vision: cultivating the conditions for a fairer society
[la fabrique francophone] pursues an approach that combines social transformation, cultural development and critical thought. It aims to contribute to a fairer, more inclusive and more caring society, placing the question of connection back at the heart of its work: connection to others, to oneself, to territories, to stories.It sees culture as a living process, constantly being redefined, nourished by manifold stories, lived experience, and the fertile tensions between heritages and futures. That is why it works to redraw the very outlines of what “culture” means, drawing on the diversity of people’s expressions, forms, belongings and paths.
Four areas of work
Supporting contemporary French-language creation — writing and creative residencies, the On dit Quoi? literary season, and support for theatre companies.
Fostering the expression of diversities — radio, audiovisual, digital and performance projects carried out with residents, writing and sound-creation workshops, and projects with the area’s young people.
Activating network and cooperation dynamics — the Lot working group on cultural rights with SYNAVI, Ufisc and Adefpat, professional networks, hosting of training, and territorial partnerships.
Encouraging openness to the French-speaking world — cooperation with organisations and artists from sub-Saharan Africa, the French overseas territories and Europe.
The venue
Offices, an activity room, a digital studio, a social space and accommodation for artists. Here, resident artists, local inhabitants, young people, professionals and passing guests cross paths, with constant attention paid to the quality of the relationship.
In alternARTives
[la fabrique francophone] coordinated the project and hosted the second action-research cycle in Cahors and the Lot Valley in March 2026. alternARTives is its first European project, alongside its cooperation work in Benin, Chad and the TP4EU network.
Find out more → lafabriquefrancophone.fr
256 quai Ségur d’Aguesseau — 46000 Cahors
Le Laboratoire des droits culturels
A fellow traveller — training and methodology
Working on cultural rights through relationship
The Laboratoire des droits culturels sets itself the mission of raising awareness of, and supporting, the transition towards respect for people’s cultural rights. It pursues this horizon through awareness-raising, training, project management and project support, working with groups of people, associations, businesses and local authorities.Its approach is that of a “relational research” laboratory: a space for reflecting on, and experimenting with, ways of making culture and making humanity together — on a territory and with the wider world.
What it does
Training and equipping professionals, volunteers and elected officials — training on cultural rights and the Faro Convention, developing capabilities and freedoms, and building cross-sector networks.
Supporting transitions in public policy — diagnostic and advisory assignments within local authorities, and trials of tailor-made mechanisms for deliberative and citizen participation.
Experimenting and co-building — contributory workshops, relational mapping, Faro walks, empathy-based role-play simulations, project leadership and mentoring, and the Conférence des dissensus (Conference of Disagreements).
The Laboratoire also publishes analyses and research reports, and relays the work of the European Faro network.
In alternARTives
The Laboratoire designed the Interstices Protocol trialled in Pradines, and delivered the training on the cultural-rights framework during the second action-research cycle. Its methodological input ran through all three stages of the project, and its relational-research report is the project’s main written deliverable.
Find out more → labodroitsculturels.fr
A partnership that became structural
The long-standing collaboration between [la fabrique francophone] and the Laboratoire des droits culturels grew closer over the course of the three activities, ultimately leading to the merger of the two organisations. Maël Lucas, author of the research report, joined the salaried team of [la fabrique francophone] during the project.This outcome helps secure the durability of what alternARTives achieved: the methodologies tested during the project continue to be put to work, passed on and shared well beyond its original scope.
