An immersive art intervention transforming an unloved corner of Paris's Marais district into a vibrant celebration of LGBTQ+ communities

In Paris, as in numerous cities worldwide, gay bars and other urban spaces dedicated to LGBTQ + communities are increasingly being forced to shutdown. These are places of freedom, celebration, and refuge, which have created positive and liberating experiences within our cities.

Working with LGBTQ+ communities from around the world, UP/SIDE/DOWN/TOWN will pay tribute to their iconic urban places and preserve their memory under the covered gallery of 95 rue du Temple in the renowned Marais district of Paris.

UP/SIDE/DOWN/TOWN is an art piece conceived by Copenhagen-based English artist Daniel van der Noon and The Street Society, a Paris-based urban innovation agency. Their proposal for UP/SIDE/DOWN/TOWN was selected out of 720 proposals to Embellir Paris, a public art competition hosted by the City of Paris. Their intention is to convey the stories, timelines, and history of the people and places that have and continue to advance LGBTQ+ rights around the world.

(Progress Flag by Daniel Quasar)

LGBTQ+ communities take center stage throughout UP/SIDE/DOWN/TOWN’s design process. There will be an open call to the communities to submit places and their stories to be represented on the walls of this installation. Artist Daniel van der Noon will portray these essential LGBTQ+ urban places from around the world, both the emblematic and the intimate, throughout the site.

UP/SIDE/DOWN/TOWN will be located in the heart of Paris

Adding to the atmosphere of the Marais, one of Paris’s liveliest neighborhoods, UP/SIDE/DOWN/TOWN will transform this surprisingly dark and forgotten corner of rue du Temple into a colorful and exciting meeting place. Passersby will be able to immerse themselves within this city-in-the-city: a bright, utopian scenery fitting seamlessly alongside the Marais’s museums, historical monuments and street-art.

A digital experience will allow pedestrians to hear the history and personal stories behind the LGBTQ+ movements and places represented on the canvas of 95 rue du Temple. UP/SIDE/DOWN/TOWN will be a connection between the stories, dates, places, and characters that have and continue to advance the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals across the world.

Daniel van der Noon: Bringing Fantastical Urban Landscapes to Life

Watch to see Daniel's unique process and aesthetic.

(video by: Our Man in Paris)

We need your help!

In order to fully realize our vision of this city-in-the-city, Daniel van der Noon will cover the entire 334 m2 of the site with drawings in his signature architectural style - an approach that requires significant investment in terms of coordination, equipment and manpower. In order to see this particularly important project come to life we need your help!

The total budget for the project is 89,500€. Already, the City of Paris has committed 50,000€, but we still need to raise 39,500€! KissKissBankBank backers like you are part of the equation. We are also reaching out to foundations and companies to make up the rest.

Supporting UP/SIDE/DOWN/TOWN means supporting our communities, continuing the memory of LGBTQ+ places and committing to increasingly colorful, inclusive and just cities. All donations, whatever their size, will help support this effort.

Project Schedule

06 May - 30 June 2019: Design of the graphic and interactive content

13 May - 24 June 2019: KissKissBankBank crowdfunding campaign

Last week June 2019: Fundraising Event in the Marais

First week July 2019: Receive funds from the City of Paris

1 July - 15 July 2019: Purchase and renting of all requisite equipment, necessary for the preparation of the site.

15 July - 16 August 2019: Art piece installation

September: Inauguration