As part of its partnership with Kent and the European face2face project, artconnexion welcomed the artist Hannah Lees in residency in Lille.


"My stay in Lille triggered a change of direction within my work. Having a different perspective due to being in a different environment meant that I was able to assess the progress (or lack of) in my practice. Being in Lille was somewhat of a culture shock as Lille is thriving and sadly, Margate (where I am based) is fading. This encouraged me to seek-out the things I would find in Margate, such as Charity shops. I made frequent visits to the Armee du Salut shop and the Oxfam bookshop, where I purchased books to make a series of collages with. I also felt the need for natural things and so spent a lot of time in the Musée d'Histoire Naturelle, where I met Sophie Beckary who showed me the museum geology and zoology archives.

The collages I made while in Lille were a kind of reaction to the contrast between the Musee d'Histoire Naturelle and the Musee des Beaux-Arts, not only on a physical level but also on a cultural and political level. I was made aware of the focus on the Beaux-arts within Lille and the lack of such focus on the sciences, the Musee des Beaux-arts building and how they show their collection, compared to the Musée d'Histoire Naturelle, who only are able to show a third of their entire collection.

I was given the chance to meet the students at Tourcoing art school, where I gave a presentation of my work followed by tutorials and a group crit. I found this incredibly interesting as it really gave me an insight into the concerns of the students, their aspirations and practice.

The nature of the artconnexion residency meant that there was no pressure to make work and no structure to comply with. Feeling under no pressure really gave me the chance to re-consider my work and have the confidence to embark on a new path."

Extract from Hannah Lee's report, 2009

After the residency, artconnexion proposed to Hannah Lees to organize a "Summer Collage Party" in Lille in June 2009.