The city of Marseille in the south of France is about to see the opening of a brand new nightlife and arts venue, club coop, that promises to be a cultural space for marginalised communities. Due to a lack of such areas in Marseille, the new 200-capacity space is anticipated to welcome a new demographic to its facilities. Opening its doors on September 30, it has been given funding from the Creative Impact Fund in Germany and has enjoyed a response that shows people are eager to get involved with the initiative.
During its forthcoming test event, the club’s line-up will feature the likes of Carlito, b2b with David Ghetto, Doucesœur, DJ Momix, and Noge. As described by the founders themselves, the venue bills itself as a cooperative cultural space that partakes in both club nights and art events whilst taking inspiration from global grassroots movement Space of Urgency, and Lewisham-based community collective Sister Midnight. It also cites taking cues from Paris’ La Louve in order to narrow the gap between non-profit entities and privately-run businesses.
A grant from CIRCE will be providing further backing to the project, the goal of which is to run a community-led system where members can determine everything down to the sound, vision, and prices of each club night. As part of the theory of the project, members will meet often, en masse and with an advisory board drawn from across the city, and will also regularly be elected to programming and reflective committees dedicated to future planning.
Club coop plans to reflect its ambition through experimental live performances and various nightclub and art events, with ticket prices starting at €5. In addition, a safe(r) spaces policy will be enforced at its debut event on September 30. The venue is set to enable members of the community to create the club that they want to see and will regularly publish updates on the project’s progress, with an initial paper to be published in late November of this year.
The first guerilla poster campaign from club coop has resulted in nearly 400 signups for the club’s first event. The guys behind the scheme are confident that it will create a paradigm shift in the way clubs are run. All tickets will be available on the door on the night ona first come, first serve basis. Look out for updates on the club’s progress on Instagram here
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