Artistic City Tour + Atelier Visit + Workshop
4h (incl. 2 x 15min breaks)
3-7 adults 60 €/person + 5 € material flat rate each
2 adults 80 €/person
1 adult (individual one-to-one with Roman) 160 €
Children up to 12 years FREE, 13-17 years 10 € (5 € for materials each)
Max. 7 persons – for bigger groups or customized visiting formats (study groups, school classes etc.) please contact us
Reference of quality: The first programme of his artistic tours + atelier visits Roman developed in 2021 as a commission by the Museum for the History of Lyon (Musées Gadagne). See commission.
Gift idea? You would like to surprise someone with the artistic city tour + atelier visit + workshop and wrap the meeting with Roman in an original way? Combine the visit with a handwritten invitation postcard with an original sketch.
PROGRAMME
I. Artistic city tour – district: Les Pentes de la Croix-Rousse (2h)
Roman will take you on a journey through the history and present of the historic silk weavers' district of Lyon, which has now become the new home of the Berlin artist for five years.
Experience history coming alive at your fingertips: Through anecdotes and original objects (ancient weaving spindles and soup bowls, silkworm cocoons, ...), Roman will introduce you to the emblematic figures of the past – icons from the silk weavers' milieu, the legendary "Mères Lyonnaises", ... – as well as to today's inhabitants of the district: street artists, emerging fashion designers, ...
From the plateau of the "Croix-Rousse" hill, he will guide you down the slope through the so-called traboules, an architectural curiosity and absolute must-see during your stay in Lyon.
On Roman's portable easel, you will also discover capricious charcoal sketches: Witnesses of invisible anecdotes created during his excursions through the city. These first impressions of his artistic work are the aperitif of the final highlight of the tour: exploring his atelier, located in a historic building (1650) in the heart of the silk weavers' district.
II. Atelier visit (1h)
Part 1: During your visit, you will be able to explore Roman's atelier, a true mille-feuilles ("thousand-sheets") of history: It is situated in an ancient building (1650) in the heart of Lyon's historic silk weaving district – in the 1950s it was a so-called "clandé", a clandestine house of prostitution!
Roman introduces you to his interdisciplinary Matrix Method, a technique of experimental storytelling. Firstly, he illustrates this creative approach through the metaphor of the silk weavers and the architectural must-sees of Lyon, the so-called traboules. In this process, you will experience Lyon’s history coming alive at your fingertips: touch original objects such as ancient weaving spindles and silkworm cocoons!
Through diverse artworks exhibited on site – drawings, multimedia installations, readymades, poetry – you will then discover how the history and present of the district are fuelling Roman’s artistic adventures at other ends of the world (in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Belarus, Philippines, …).
Part 2: You may then choose a focus from Roman’s multi-faceted topics – or go for a potpourri of all thematic fields: A. Oceans, Plastic Pollution and Biodiversity, B. History and Memory, C. Poetry, Literature and Philosophy. For details, please consult the menu Artworks and the VIDEO-Trailer below.
III. Workshop (1h)
Together with Roman, you create your own artwork, as a unique souvenir of your stay in Lyon or as a personal gift (absolutely no prior knowledge required!). You will develop an experimental collage combining various techniques: Japanese suminagashi, frottage à la Max Ernst and drip painting.
And you will not create this "memorable masterpiece" with just any materials: With an antique ink-stone, you will produce your own ink using an element intimately linked to Lyon: WATER – originating from its two aquatic arteries, the Saône and the Rhône river. Roman insists on giving you at least a brief introduction to the ink-stone in the shape of a turtle: her name is Cassiopeia!
Text elements may be integrated as well: You will type these on Tarantula, Roman's poetic accomplice, a typewriter born in the 1960s. Finally, a “family” of ancient stamps will serve you to sign your work with the GPS coordinates marking the geographical origin of the water.
Experience: Roman has years of experience in designing (international) workshop formats. Across Europe, he leads interdisciplinary art workshops in cooperation with schools, universities, research institutes, ministries of education, memorial sites, foundations and museums – the participants range from primary school pupils to educators (teacher trainings) and university professors (thematic study trips). His innovative concepts have repeatedly been awarded prizes. Details under the menu item Workshops.
STARTING/MEETING POINT OF THE TOUR: in the middle of the "Place de la Croix-Rousse" at the statue of Joseph Marie Jacquard, 69004 Lyon – google maps. Please be there 15min before the official start of the visit.
DESTINATION/END POINT OF THE TOUR: Roman's atelier, 17 Rue René Leynaud, 69001 Lyon (see photo of the entrance door) – google maps.
BEFORE BOOKING: Please contact us via email rkroke.udk@berlin.com or telephone +33 (0)769 33 26 99 (whatsapp, signal, telegram) to fix the day and time of your visit. After confirmation, you are welcome to book here and select either online payment or cash upon arrival. How does the “cash upon arrival” work? Upon check out (add to the cart > check out > continue to payment), you will be asked to select a payment method. Choose "Cash on Delivery (COD)". Done!
YOUR GROUP: Roman adapts the concept of the visit to the age, background and preferences of the visiting group. In his international projects, the participants have ranged from primary school children to university professors, furthermore: university students, high-school students, teachers, refugees, inmates of high security prisons etc. See his Pedagogic Portfolio (PDF).
VIDEO-Trailer: The Waterweaver (2023)
