The People's Guidebook to Lens 2015
'Le guide émotionnel de lens-Liévin'  

Our first Folkestone Triennial artwork in 2011 was a No.1 best seller and was so successful in revealing the most important places in Folkestone from the point of view of local people, that the Louvre-Lens Tourism office commissioned us to recreate the artwork for them. The book was launched on the 28th February 2015 to a great reception from the local community. This region in France is a UNESCO World Heritage destination and is home to a new extension of the famous Louvre gallery, which in 2013 welcomed over 1,000,000 international visitors. Lens, a former mining town, is known for its landmark slag heaps which rise above the otherwise flat landscape like two enormous volcanoes. The Guidebook is full of the places that people from the Lens region consider reflect their history, culture and personal memories. In a nutshell, the things that makes it feel like home. The project was funded through the ICR INTERREG programme which both Strange Cargo and the Mission Départementale Louvre-Lens Tourisme are partners in.

Strange Cargo worked with Compagnie Hendrick Van Der Zee (HVDZ), a Lens based theatre group who collected the stories from the general public, which formed the basis of the new artwork. The huge publicity drive that was under taken to make the project a success was helped along by the Pays d'Art et d'Histoire group. Strange Cargo ran a workshop with photographer Ben Hills, to share his experience with a local french photography team, Dans la Boite, who where responsible for visually representing the stories that are selected for this exciting project. If you wish to get a copy of the guidebook please email Strange Cargo.