Linklaters announces support to the BAL’S programme La Fabrique du Regard

La Fabrique du Regard

LE BAL’s educational platform, La Fabrique du Regard, carries out far-reaching work with young people (aged 6 to 20) on the ground to raise their critical and creative awareness of the world via education on the visual image and through images.

Since September 2008, this work has been carried out in co-operation with 150 institutions, 75% of which are in education action zones or priority districts. Every year 2,000 young people learn how to interpret and navigate their way within a society dominated by images, with one specific objective: to educate active viewers who are concerned about and aware of the world around them.

Four programmes are run every year by the La Fabrique du Regard team with 50 artists and professionals. These involve three main components: analysis of the image; exploration of its context for production, dissemination and reception; and actual participation in a collective project (film, journal, publication, poster, etc.).

The Linklaters Corporate Foundation and “Mon Journal du Monde”

The Linklaters Corporate Foundation wanted to support the activities of LE BAL and La Fabrique du Regard in educating young people about the challenges associated with images, because these actions contribute to young people’s social empowerment. In particular, the work of La Fabrique du Regard brings together the Foundation’s two core objectives: inclusive education and cultural sponsorship. In keeping with its pro bono character, the Foundation’s support will in particular involve promoting the development of the “Mon Journal du Monde” programme.

This takes the form of a weekly workshop held in colleges and youth activity centres, and is run by an artist or photography specialist. As part of designing their “Journal du Monde”, the teenagers learn about the process of producing, disseminating and receiving images and meet professionals. The teenagers use photographs taken during the workshop and collect images to create a montage that combines personal and topical images. The teenagers decide on the editorial focus of their journal, the layout and the links between image and text.

This new project is fully in keeping with the objectives of the Linklaters Corporate Foundation, namely to initiate, promote and assist, in France and abroad, non-profit-making activities of public interest aimed at establishing or developing links of social, educational and cultural solidarity.